Mystery at Lanpetroc House
by Yorkshirelass
Summary: Jack and Sue have a little free time after working on a case in England. They go and visit a friend of Jack's and find themselves embroiled in a mystery.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Well it has been a pleasure working with you," the tall gentleman held out his hand, "I can understand why you have such good clear up statistics, you three work very well as a team." A woof in agreement made him look down.

"Yes Levi, you have trained them well." He gently tugged on the ear of the golden retriever sitting patiently to the side of his owner.

"It's been a pleasure working with you too Chris," commented Sue "I hope we haven't caused too many problems?"

"No, not at all, though you have stirred things up quite a bit. Who knew that Reynolds was working for the other side. There are a lot of people extremely grateful to you for uncovering that little problem." Chris grimaced, he had never even suspected that one of his team was responsible for passing information to the Serbians. "What do you plan to do with your spare time? I believe you aren't due back in Washington just yet. Do you fancy doing a bit of sightseeing whilst here in London?"

Jack gave Sue a quick glance and saw that she didn't look too taken with that idea. She had found the assignment quite stressful and he knew that she would prefer to relax rather that traipse around the sights.

"That would be up to our supervisor," he said, pulling a face "they may want us to return straight away if the case load they have is heavy."

"Yes, well anyway it's been good to meet you. I'll try and arrange for you to help us again." He looked through the window into the corridor and nodded to the officer outside. "I can see I'm needed," He added. "No rest for the wicked eh?" He shook Jack's hand, took the liberty of kissing Sue on the cheek and ruffled the fur on Levi's head.

A short while later found the trio out on the street looking for a café. It was mid- afternoon and Sue had decided that she wanted afternoon tea "With scones and jam and cakes and everything!" she declared. Jack grinned and quickly spotted a welcoming tea-room. They chose to sit at a table in the window where they could watch the people go by. The menu had a variety of choices and Sue took her time before deciding that she would rather have scones, jam and cream than cake. Jack agreed and they placed their order before sitting back and letting the stresses wash away.

"Do you think Dee will order us back straight away?" asked Sue referring to their supervisor at the FBI. A case they had been working on in Washington had led to connections in London and Jack and Sue had spent the last two weeks helping Scotland Yard.

"No, I called him whilst you took Levi for a run and he said that we can take the rest of the time to ourselves. We have to be back in ten days. Do you want to leave now? I noticed you weren't too keen on Chris's idea to see the capital." Replied Jack.

"I don't really want to go back, I've never been to England before but I must confess that I find all this bustle very tiring." She explained "And I know Levi would like a rest."

"I do have another suggestion," Before Jack could explain their cream teas arrived. The scones were warm and there was a dish of home-made strawberry jam full of strawberries. Sue was 'mother' and poured the tea whilst Jack helped himself to the largest scone. He caught Sue glaring at him and laughed "You'll thank me later," he grinned.

Sue broke off a piece of scone for Levi before spreading a thick layer of strawberry jam on the sliced pastry followed by a generous helping of clotted cream. She bit into it and sighed with pleasure.

Jack quickly cut his scone through the middle and spread clotted cream before adding a dollop of jam. The scones were almost eaten before Sue remembered that Jack was going to suggest an alternative to flying back home.

"You remember that I did a tour in Jakarta a while back before joining the team?" he started.

Sue wrinkled her nose and gave a tiny scowl. Jakarta was where he had met Jessica. She had met her briefly and had thought that Jack was looking to start that relationship up again. Sue hadn't particularly liked Jessica, and not just because of her interest in Jack, and as it turned out had been right to be suspicious when Jessica turned out to be the mastermind of the plot.

"Sure," she said, hoping that she sounded neutral.

"Well, there was a guy on the team called Alex Tremore. We kept in touch, meeting up in either Washington or Wisconsin from time to time as work permitted. His family has a house in Cornwall and when I mentioned we were coming over he suggested that if we had time we must go and visit. It's rural, very quiet, not far from the coast and a great place for relaxing. I haven't been there but I have seen photos: it looks like a nice place."

"Would he be alright with us just turning up, especially as I would be bringing Levi?" asked Sue.

"He's sort of expecting us," said Jack sheepishly "I just need to say when we are arriving. I thought we could get a flight to Newquay, hire a car and drive over. It will be a lot quicker than driving all the way there and I think Levi would prefer it."

Sue took the last bite of scone and chewed slowly whilst she thought about it.

"OK," she said "Why not, it will be fun!"

"Good, I'll sort out flights," Jack handed her a serviette, Sue looked puzzled. "You got a little cream on you," he announced moving his hand around his mouth giving her an idea of where to wipe. Sue went a little pink and wiped her face. "How's that?"

"Gone," grinned Jack, signalling to the waitress for the bill.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

With seemingly little trouble at all, Jack manged to book a flight for them for the following day and arrange a hire car. The flight was short but, unfortunately, the scenery wasn't good due to low lying cloud. Sue was disappointed not to see more of England, but was confident that the weather would improve during their stay. However, as they began the descent she was thrilled to see the patchwork of green fields appearing below them and the steel grey glint of the sea beyond the airport. It was mizzling when they got off the plane and all three of them were quite damp by the time they had got their hire car. Jack had volunteered to drive so that Sue wouldn't have to worry about driving on the 'wrong' side of the road and she was grateful, pleased that she could spend the time looking around her rather than watching out for traffic coming from unexpected places.

Sue was curious about her host and questioned Jack thoroughly about him. Alex was about the same age as Jack. He had inherited the family home a couple of years back following the death of his father and his mother had passed away the year before that. He wasn't married and spent his time travelling the world on assignments, coming back to Cornwall to relax. He was an excellent sniper, which was one of the reasons he and Jack had hit it off so well, and liked to rock climb or surf whenever possible. Jack recounted some of the things they had got up to in the time that they had known each other and Sue thought that he sounded like good fun.

The further they went away from the airport the better the weather became. First it stopped mizzling, then the sky had patches of blue in it and by the time Jack was pulling off the dual carriageway the sun had come out. Not that they could see it because the trees down each side of the narrow road they were now driving along met in the middle and formed a dense tunnel. Another turn and they were travelling along a single track road with high hedges blocking out the view and more particularly, of the road ahead. Sue found herself holding her breath as Jack grinned. The next turn took them between a pair of gate posts and onto a long drive with an avenue of trees on each side and friendly looking brown cows on the grass. Levi picked up his ears and gruffled a little. Then the house came into view.

"Oh my!" exclaimed Sue "Your friend lives here?"

Jack grinned, "Impressive isn't it!" he chortled.

The drive led to an old gatehouse which straddled the driveway to the front porch, the gates wide open and welcoming. Behind it, ending at a circular drive was Lanpetroc House. It was built of grey Cornish granite which sparkled in the sunlight, tall wide windows were uniformly placed along the walls which, in turn, were covered by neatly trimmed magnolias. Two long wings stretched out from the central building forming a capital E.

Jack carried on past the gatehouse and around through another gate which led to the stables some of which had been converted into garages. He parked the car in one of the empty spaces and went to help Sue and Levi out before getting their luggage. Sue stood in the courtyard looking eagerly around her. Noticing that Jack was moving, Sue followed him through the arched gate and onto the drive which led to the front door. Before they had chance to ring the doorbell, the door swung open and a tall muscular man with blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes came out.

"Kernow a'gas dynergh!" he called out "Welcome to Cornwall and welcome to Lanpetroc house!" He shook Jack's hand slapping him on the back at the same time then he turned to Sue and Levi, his eyes widened. "Introduce me, Jack" he ordered.

"Alex meet Sue Thomas my friend and co-worker and Levi. Sue this is my friend Alex Tremore,"

"Ah so this is the lovely Sue. Pleased to meet you and Levi too!" Levi held out his paw to shake

"Pleased to meet you too," replied Sue "I'm sorry but I didn't get the first bit that you said."

"Jack probably didn't either," grinned Alex. "Kernow a'gas dynergh means 'welcome to Cornwall' in Cornish. Come on in. Did you have a pleasant journey? The roads can be a little packed during the summer which is no fun." Jack and Sue followed Alex into the large hall and Sue looked around in amazement at the old panelling, plaster frieze and elaborate Jacobean ceiling.

"It's quiet at the moment," commented Alex "I do have a small house party staying here but they are all out and about doing things at present. I'm sure you'll meet up with them at dinner. In the meantime let's get you settled and give you the penny tour." He took Sue's two bags from her and Jack picked up his before leading them through the double door at the far end of the room. Through the door was the staircase and when they reached the top Alex pointed out the sitting room before taking them down a corridor and down some steps. "I hope Levi has been paying attention," Alex commented "It's his job to make sure that you don't get lost on your way back to the sitting room!" Alex opened a door at the top of a flight of stairs, "You are in the east wing. If you go down these stairs and turn right there are a couple of doors to the outside, should Levi need to make a quick escape."

He turned the handle on the door then suddenly said, "And what are you doing in here?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Levi darted forward, sniffing the air eagerly. Before he could get through the door, however, Alex bent down and scooped up a tiny cavalier King Charles spaniel. "My late mother's dog, Millie," he said "She must have got in when the house-keeper prepared your rooms then couldn't get back out." He ruffled her head before putting her back down; allowing her to get to know Levi.

"She's lovely," acknowledge Sue and bent down to pet her. Pushing past the two dogs, Alex led them down a short corridor. "Sue you are at the end, Jack this is your room and you share a bathroom. I hope everything is OK. If you need anything let me know and I'll meet you in the sitting room when you're ready." He took Sue's luggage to her room then gave a big grin and, whistling to Millie to follow, he set off back down the corridor.

Jack opened the door to his room and went inside. It was a good sized room with a large granite fireplace and a large window overlooking the driveway and the countryside around. Seeing a door in the corner he poked his head inside and found a large bathroom with a deep roll top bath and another door opposite to his which he assumed led to Sue's room. Pleased with what he saw, he returned to his bedroom and began to unpack his things.

Sue was standing in the middle of her room totally bemused. There was a tall wide window at the end with glorious views down to a river as well as another smaller window to the side both with comfy window seats. Levi had already curled himself up on one and was preparing to nap. She too had a magnificent granite fireplace but the ceiling surpassed anything that she had expected. It was barrel-shaped and covered in intricate plasterwork leading down to a plasterwork coving covered in a flower frieze. To the side of the fireplace was an impressive double door and Sue went to open it. To her amazement it opened onto a tiny cupboard that seemed to serve no purpose as it had no shelves or hooks which would allow it to be used for storage. Sue giggled and closed the door. The next door she tried was less puzzling as it led into the bathroom, grabbing Levi's water bowl from his bag she filled it with water and set it down in a convenient spot. Returning to her bedroom Sue found herself pulled towards the tall window again and she gazed across the meadow towards the river where she could see small boats bobbing about. Finally, tearing herself away from the beautiful view Sue began to unpack placing her things carefully in the large wardrobe and chest of drawers. Suddenly she felt Levi nudge her and she turned towards him as he moved to the door. She quickly followed him and found Jack waiting outside. "Are you ready?" he asked. "Do you think we can find our way back to the sitting room?" Sue nodded and grinned closing the door carefully behind her, she didn't want Millie coming in and getting stuck again, then followed Jack and Levi towards the sitting room.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

They found their way easily to the sitting room which, despite its long length, was warm and welcoming with a variety of comfortable looking sofas and chairs. Surprisingly, Alex wasn't there and Jack and Sue were just wondering what to do when a young woman gracefully arose from one of the settees.

"Sue, Jack welcome! Alex sends his apologies but something has just cropped up which needs his attention." She spoke as well as signed much to Sue's amazement. "I'm Ana. My husband and I are old friends of Alex and when he was called away I offered to do the tour." Suddenly a rumbling noise was heard and Jack looked embarrassed. Ana Laughed. "Nicely timed Mrs Henderson! I believe that refreshments are very much in order!" A grey haired woman came into view pushing a trolley filled with sandwiches, cakes and fruit. Quickly she placed them on one of the tables, smiled and left.

"Have a seat," said Ana. "Help yourselves to what you need. Can I offer you tea or coffee?" Again she both spoke and signed.

"You know ASL," remarked Sue in surprise.

"I love languages, I've picked up quite a few and then decided that learning a non-verbal one would be quite interesting. I started with BSL so I'm more confident in that if it helps?" explained Ana. "Though I understand that you lip-read as well and that I need to watch what I say." She turned to Sue laughing, Sue grinned back. They munched their way steadily through the food chatting about the flight from London and initial impressions of the house. When they had finished Ana stacked the trolley back up and suggested they began the tour outside whilst it was still dry.

"I'll take the trolley down to Mrs Henderson first. She's very busy at the moment what with all the guests." Ana whistled and Jack suddenly noticed Millie curled up on the carpet she lifted an eyebrow then quickly got up and followed Ana as she trundled the trolley out of the room and towards a narrow double door. Opening both doors she revealed a small lift with just enough room for two people, a trolley and a small dog. "If you liked to use the stairs, I'll meet you down there." She smiled and entered the lift. Jack and Sue followed her directions and were downstairs in no time. Following Ana they headed towards the large, bright, airy kitchen before leaving the house by a side door.

Once outside Levi was given permission to explore and he padded off following an interesting smell, Millie close behind her tail wagging and a happy smile on her face.

The house was nestled within the hillside and Ana led them up a long flight of steps which brought them out above the roofline of the house. Through the chimneys they could see across the parkland and down towards the river. It was very peaceful, the warmth of the sun felt pleasant and Jack and Ana could hear a variety of birdcalls from the trees and shrubs around them.

"What's that?" asked Sue pointing to a puther of smoke moving along the valley.

"There is a steam train which runs along there. It stops at the station at the bottom of that path and goes back the way it came." Answered Ana. "It's a pleasant trip I believe."

Jack, Sue and Levi enjoyed their walk but were relieved to return to the house. It had been an early start and they were both tired. As they came around the south side of the house they noticed a car in the driveway with a young man reaching into the boot and pulling out a suitcase.

"Jason, fancy seeing you here!" called Ana. "I thought you were needed elsewhere."

"Trust me I wish I was," he replied gloomily. "Is Alex around?"

"Don't know; we've been for a walk." Ana replied. "Jason Tremore this is Jack Hudson and Sue Thomas. Jack is an old friend of Alex's and Sue is his friend and work colleague. They are from Washington DC. Jack, Sue this is Alex's younger brother Jason." They said their hellos and were just about to go inside when Alex appeared from the garages. His smile turned into a scowl as soon as he saw the new visitor.

"Jason, to what do we owe the pleasure?" he growled.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Pleased to see you too!" responded Jason with a glare. "You know that it wasn't my idea to come here?" He looked at Ana who shook her head.

"Don't look at me. I'm as surprised to see you as you are to be here." She said looking puzzled. "Good to see you again though. It's been quite a while."

"My room still available?" he asked Alex whilst picking up his suitcase.

"Always," replied Alex. "We'll talk later, when you are settled in. Find out why you're here." Jason snorted and entered the house.

"Right, Jack, Sue, ready for the house tour and a little history?" Alex gestured for them to enter. "Coming Ana?"

"Thanks Alex but I think that I can hear Will. Maybe later? Enjoy the tour!" Ana smiled at Jack and Sue then moved quickly towards the gatehouse.

They spent an hour or so looking around the house and hearing about its history before Alex was called away again. He apologised to them before striding off leaving Jack and Sue to amuse themselves. As the weather was still good they decided to go into the garden again and explore the top path. Just as they were approaching the rear of a wooden shelter Jack stopped and listened carefully.

"That isn't how to do it," a female voice exclaimed. "You'll hurt my fingers if you continue to do that!"

"Then how would you do it?" exclaimed a male voice, in obvious frustration. "Seeing as how you must be the expert."

"Try it this way. There see, it went in so much more easily." The woman replied. Jack was just about to suggest to a puzzled Sue that they should turn around and go in the opposite direction when the mystery female voice addressed them.

"Hello there! Don't go, you may be able to help. We're having a bit of bother." A young woman emerged from inside the shelter and came towards them. "Hi, I'm Hazel, you must Alex's friends from America. Mike! Come on out and leave that for the moment." Mike grumbled under breath and something was heard falling to the floor with a thud. Jack moved towards the door and peered inside.

"A telescope!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, it's supposed to be clear tonight so we decided to do a little star gazing," explained Hazel. "Unfortunately we don't seem to be able to put the parts together. Perhaps you could try?"

"My brothers had a telescope, I could have a look. My name is Sue by the way and this is Levi." Levi held up his paw to shake which Mike and Hazel did with glee, then Jack introduced himself whilst Sue managed to set up the telescope with little difficulty.

"Thank you! You made that look so easy. Now, if it stays dry, we just have to bring it outside once it starts to go dark." Hazel said eagerly. They continued to chatter about everyday things whilst making their way back to the house.

As they turned the corner towards the front door Alex came out. "Jack, could I have a word please?" Jack looked surprised at the serious tone to Alex's voice. "Sure," He replied as he followed Alex into his study leaving Sue in the company of Mike and Hazel.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Once inside Alex offered Jack a seat looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Jack I need your help," he began. "We've known each other a long time and I know that I can trust you."

"Of course," replied Jack. "Anything I can do to help, you know that I will." Alex paused and took a deep breath, considering where to begin.

"About two months ago I was on an assignment in Europe when I received a message from Mrs Henderson. Someone had tried to break into this room. I sometimes keep information of a sensitive nature here in theory it should safer here than at work." Jack nodded. "It was at night and Mrs Henderson neither saw nor heard anything. Whoever it was knew how to get in here and how to disable the alarms. Fortunately, Daisy and Claude saw them off otherwise who knows what they would have done. Apart from forcing the desk drawers, they didn't have time to do anything else. Nothing was taken."

"Daisy and Claude?" questioned Jack.

"My guard dogs. When I'm not home they have the run of the downstairs. I don't think that the burglars knew about them so they must have had quite a shock. They left behind a bit of jacket but not enough for the lab to be of much help."

"What do you want me to do?" asked Jack.

"The chatter is that some-one is prepared to pay a great deal of money for the file that I have in safe-keeping. I'm expecting them to try again and soon," replied Alex, grimly. "There is a lot that we can do on this side of the pond but our contact says that there is a link to your side and I was hoping that you could use your contacts to work that angle. We are looking for a terrorist who you have had some dealings with."

Jack leaned forward slightly, "Who?" he asked.

"Arif Dessa," announced Alex.

"Not possible," Jack stated, emphatically. "He was arrested and imprisoned. He is under surveillance at all times, there is no way that he could be involved."

"And that is where Jason comes in. He came to tell me that Arif Dessa escaped from prison yesterday. No-one knows where he is but they believe that he may be on his way here." Alex rubbed his hand across his face, the worry evident. Jack slumped in his seat. He had really believed that Arif Dessa, the Prince of Terror, was no longer a serious threat and now that had all changed. He wasn't looking forward to the next few days at all. He thought for a while before saying, "I need to tell Sue. Dessa poses a threat to her as well. Besides she has unique skills which will be of use to us. Not to mention that if we don't tell her and she finds out about this, and she will," he added. "Our lives will become very uncomfortable!"

Alex thought about this for a while. Already more people were involved in this than he would like but he agreed it would be beneficial to be able to use Sue's lip-reading skills.

"Alright," he said. "We can't really do any more today but I ought to introduce you both to the rest of the team tomorrow and we can plan out what action we are going to take. I haven't decided yet if having a house party here is a good thing or not, I don't want anyone to get hurt but it will at least hide some of what we will be getting up to." He looked at the clock on the wooden mantelpiece. "There is an hour until dinner. I'll leave you to get ready and join you in the sitting room, you can meet the other guests then."

Jack rose from his seat, "It will all work out, Dessa will soon be back where he belongs," he said, trying to sound positive but he was worried, very worried.

Quickly he made his way back upstairs and towards his room. Just as he reached the door to their corridor he saw Sue coming up the other set of stairs.

"Everything OK?" she asked, a curious look appeared on her face. Jack wrinkled his nose, "I'll tell you later," he signed. He turned the doorknob and was surprised to see Millie behind the door again. "How did you get here?" he asked puzzled. She grinned at him and scampered down the corridor towards the sitting room.

"How odd," commented Sue "You don't suppose some-one has been in our rooms do you?"

"Why would they?" replied Jack but after his conversation with Alex he felt a little worrying niggle. Was somebody keeping an eye on them? "Perhaps she can open the door from the outside and then not be able to get back out." He suggested and Sue nodded remembering the times that Levi had managed to shut himself in her room like that. They separated at their doors and began to change for dinner.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

They had already spent time with Mike and his wife Hazel and Alex's friend Ana and found that they had enjoyed their company. Now it was time to meet the rest of the guests. Everyone was standing round, most had a drink in their hand, chatting quietly but Sue could see that already they were split into groups. Ana was talking to Mike, Hazel and a tall blonde haired man who was introduced later as Ana's husband Will. In another group two older men were in a heated discussion. One of them, Lionel Llewellyn, was jabbing his finger in the direction of his companion's face who was trying to step backwards to avoid injury, this was Richard Dyer. From the snippets Sue picked up Lionel had a boat on the river and was complaining about the ineptitude of the other river users. Seated on a sofa were two women, one younger than the other and looking similar enough in appearance to make Sue wonder if they were mother and daughter. She later found out that they were aunt and niece, Frances, the younger one was married to Richard and Sue got the vague impression that Aunt Judith had more or less invited herself to the party on the pretext of needing to support her niece in her hour of need, the details of which were never mentioned. Frances had a bored look which took away any prettiness from her face and nodded intermittently as her aunt chattered away by her side.

Jack and Sue joined Ana's group.

Before long they heard a gong ring out downstairs and they made their way down to the dining room. Sue found herself seated between Frances and Lionel whilst Jack was seated next to Aunt Judith and Will. Frances immediately objected to Levi being in the room, "The dining room is no place for dogs!" she announced. Sue explained that she was deaf and that Levi was her hearing dog causing Frances to stare pointedly at her before turning towards Mike, who was on her other side, and immediately began talking to him. Sue looked across the table to Jack who grimaced in sympathy, she gave a weak smile back and shrugged her shoulders. It was not a happy meal for Sue. Frances continued to ignore her and Lionel kept forgetting that she was deaf and so didn't always face her when he spoke meaning that Sue picked up very little of what he said. Though she was a little relieved because it seemed that he could really only talk about boats and sailing, a topic about which Sue knew absolutely nothing.

Thankfully they didn't follow the tradition of the men and women separating after dinner and Jack grabbed a shawl from the hall and he and Sue went outside into the cool spring evening. It was just beginning to get dark and they had arranged to meet Mike and Hazel at the shelter to watch the stars through the telescope.

"I'm sorry that your dinner companions were idiots," said Jack. "You didn't look as if you were enjoying it too much."

"The food was lovely," Sue replied, deviating slightly from the subject. "Alex has a good cook."

"It certainly was delicious," responded Jack. "I am a little surprised at Alex's choice of friends," He continued. "Mike and Will I can see as his friends but not Lionel or Richard."

"I know what you mean," replied Sue, then clumsily changed the topic. "But enough about them, let's enjoy the evening." Jack gave into her wishes with a little reluctance. Slowly, they made their way towards the wooden shelter, Jack listening to the bird calls as the night closed in, Sue delighting in the company and Levi running ahead on the trail of a rabbit he could smell.

They arrived before Mike and Hazel and so sat down on a wrought iron bench which looked over the valley towards the river. The sun was just beginning to set behind the trees, casting a rosy glow over the landscape.

Unfortunately, Sue was finding it difficult to settle. Every time she could feel the peace wash over her she could feel Jack tense. Finally she had had enough.

"OK Jack, out with it," she demanded.

Jack feigned innocence, "Out with what?" he asked.

"Whatever it is that is making you twitchy," replied Sue. "Somethings got you on edge." She looked at him and embarrassment washed over his face. She could tell that he was thinking about his choices and so sat patiently, concern etched upon her face. Finally, Jack said, "We are here to relax," Sue nodded encouragingly. "How would you feel if we ignored the fact that we are co-workers and just spent the time as friends?" He glanced at her, unsure of her reaction. Sue pondered on his words for a moment. "Is this to do with why Alex wanted to speak to you alone?" she asked. "Is something going on that I need protecting from?"

Jack grimaced at Sue's perceptiveness, at least about the protection part of it.

"No," he answered. "This is about us forgetting about rules for a while and just being friends. The kind of friends who would sit like this and watch a beautiful sunset." He put his arm around her shoulder and tucked her head under his chin.

"Oh that kind of friend," Murmured Sue. "Well.." she snuggled in closer only to find Jack tensing. Thinking that she had mis-read the situation she sat bolt upright.

"Company," he signed, looking down the path. "Hazel and Mike are stomping noisily this way."

"Hi you two, sorry we're a little late. I hope we aren't interrupting anything!" laughed Hazel.

"No worries we have only just arrived ourselves," said Jack standing up. "Let me get the telescope.

They spent a while positioning the instrument as the night sky became darker and darker. Sue, unable to help was suddenly distracted by lights moving down the hill towards the river. Suddenly, without warning, they vanished. Sue assumed that they had gone around a bend in the path and thought nothing more of it as Jack held a torch up to his face and said that they were ready.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

They stayed outside for about an hour until Jack caught Sue trying to supress yawn after yawn. He gave their apologies and said that they were going to turn in for the night. Sue tried to persuade Jack to stay but he admitted that he felt tired too and they headed back to the house.

Sue was less than impressed to be woken three hours later by Levi jumping on her. "What is it Levi?" she asked, sleepily and only slightly grumpily. She put on the bedside light so that she could see better. "Are you alright?" He got off of the bed and moved across the room. "Is it Jack?" queried Sue, but to her surprise instead of going towards the room door he padded to the double doors which led to the practically useless cupboard. Puzzled Sue got out of bed and followed him, as she approached the doors her nerves began to take over and she quickly grabbed a heavy book from the side table. Yanking one of the doors open she peered inside the cupboard the book raised in readiness and saw … nothing! Levi padded inside and began to sniff around until Sue, a tad cross, called him away. Levi, sensing that he was in disgrace, sidled back to his sleeping spot and curled up giving her his best puppy eyes. Strangely, that reminded Sue of Jack and she began to giggle, she climbed back into bed, snuggled down under the bedclothes and was soon fast asleep. Nothing else disturbed her slumber until a dash of sunlight gently warmed her face.

Sue quickly got dressed, took Levi out then came back to shower and get ready for breakfast. She was standing outside Jack's room deciding whether to knock or let him sleep when the door opened and he came out.  
"Good you are up. But then you are a morning person," he said with a grin.

"I must say that I am a little surprised to see you up and about and so…" she tried to think of a word to describe him. "…energetic looking!" Remembering from a previous undercover assignment how he was not a morning person.

"Ah, it must have been the excellent nights sleep," replied Jack. "I slept like the proverbial log."

"What in the fireplace?" laughed Sue. "You ought to try the bed, I found mine very comfortable. Levi, however, decided that my sleep wasn't going to be as good as yours." And she proceeded to tell him about the incident with the cupboard. Jack, rather foolishly, suggested that Levi had heard a mouse before remembering that that was the one thing Sue really had a phobia about. The look of horror on her face said it all. Before he could reassure her, however, they had arrived at the dining room and were being greeted by Alex, Ana and Will. When asked by Alex, they both said that they had slept well and Sue avoided the subject of the cupboard and its possible rodent inhabitant thinking that it wouldn't be polite to accuse her host of having a vermin problem. She would let Levi sort it out or borrow the kitchen cat if there was one.

On the large side table was a varied selection of hot and cold food. Sue helped herself to cereals whilst Jack piled his plate with the components of a full English, Cornish style; both chose coffee from the pot. Levi had already eaten but that didn't stop him from sitting by Jack and staring at every mouthful he ate. He was well rewarded as various bits of sausage and hog's pudding headed his way when Sue wasn't looking; or so Jack thought.

"I think Levi has had enough now Jack," she admonished, smiling as he turned pink at being caught. Levi huffed and lay down on the floor. When everyone had finished eating Jason sauntered in and helped himself to a large plate of food. Alex glared at him, "Bring it with you," he ordered. "We aren't waiting for you to eat that lot, you should have been here earlier."

"Yes master, "answered Jason sarcastically picking up his plate and cutlery. "Pardon me for sleeping in, I was only up most of the night on your behalf."

"Not here," responded Alex quickly. "Come through to the study." He stood up and pushed his chair under the table and everyone else followed suit. Leading them through the music room and down a narrow corridor they soon found themselves in his comfortable study. Jason immediately sat down at a small table and began to shovel the delicious food into his mouth.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"I think we'll start with a few introductions," began Alex. "Sue and Jack, as you know work for the FBI. They work well together and are not afraid of unearthing a few skeletons to get to the truth. Their exposure of Reynolds is proof enough of that." Ana and Will nodded whilst Jason looked blank, a piece of toast half way to his mouth. Alex glared at him.

"What!" his younger brother exclaimed. "I haven't read my emails yet," he added, flippantly.

Alex took a deep breath, "Jason works in a low key government department gathering and analysing terrorist chatter whilst Ana and Will work in my department doing… well… whatever is necessary. I have a feeling that we are about to involve ourselves with some very ruthless people and whilst I have every confidence in you and trust you all implicitly I must make it clear that no-one goes it alone, we work together as a team. I do not want anyone getting hurt because of lack of communication and a gung-ho attitude. Is that clear?" He turned towards Jason.

"Hey, it was once!" he protested loudly. "And it wouldn't have happened if you had answered your phone!" Alex grunted before turning back to the others and told them the same details that he had revealed to Jack the day before. Sue turned pale when she heard that Arif Dessa had escaped from prison and she looked especially worried when Jason confirmed that information led them to believe that he was coming to England. There was plenty of speculation buzzing around about why he was coming but nothing definite. Sue remembered that previously information had been left on an online auction site and perhaps he could be doing something similar again. Alex made a note.

Jack looked closely at Alex for a while and then said with some scepticism, "Are you officially allocated to this case?" Frustration washed over Alex's face as he reluctantly replied, "Not specifically, I made my interest known and the connection to my home does give me, at least, a foot in the door but I am not sure about how much help and support we will be able to access from the department. Even though the house has been broken into my superiors believe that is quite insignificant, if indeed not even related, and that the real action will take place in London and whilst I agree, there is that little niggle that we might be mistaken."

"I've seen your niggles before," commented Ana. "They are usually pretty accurate."

It was decided that Jack would approach his team at the FBI to find out what he could about Dessa's escape and subsequent movements. Will, who confessed to being somewhat of a computer nerd, was to check out any online auction sites that had come to their attention through suspected terrorist links in case Dessa was using the same idea again. Ana was to talk to her contacts to find out what information was out on the streets and Jason said that he was going to go back to bed. Alex threw up his hands in despair.

"What do you expect," cried Jason. "Like I said I spent most of last night up and about on your instructions."

Alex looked slightly abashed and reluctantly said, "Ah, yes well you can fill me in about that later."

"No I'll do it now with the rest of the team. Who's to say that it isn't connected?" Jason replied doggedly, enjoying the thrill of antagonising his big brother. Alex shrugged his shoulders and indicated that Jason could continue.

"Yesterday, Alex asked me to keep a watch on the river," he began. "Word has got to him that there may be a little smuggling going on. If there is though I saw nothing. I can tell you that it was cold last night and that it is pretty quiet out there in the dark however, none of the boats on the river moved last night, thankfully the moon is nearly full so it was pretty well lit up. I did hear some men talking but couldn't pick up anything they said or even tell from which direction they were standing. Alex believes that the contraband is being held here on the estate some-where but what I want to know though is how they could get it here, our driveways and paths are pretty well secure thanks to the cctv and I've checked it through."

Alex," said Sue "didn't you mention that there used to be tunnels around here from the old days of smuggling?"

"Those tunnels are long gone," replied Jason. "They've either been blocked up or they've caved in. We spent ages trying to find them as kids with no luck."

"You haven't convinced me that the two things are connected yet," stated Alex. "An indication of what might be being smuggled would help too. I'll keep an eye on things, hopefully it will turn out to be nothing."

"Well if there isn't anything else," began Ana. "I need to be off. I doubt if I will be back by tonight but I will certainly try to get back by lunchtime tomorrow."

"Ana has a plane," explained Will. "She's off to London to talk to her snitches."

"Oh!" replied Sue in surprise not knowing what to add to that.

"I've borrowed it from a friend, they have had some repairs done to it and I am testing them out." Ana explained, laughing. Will commented that he would be going as well as he had better access to resources in London but would keep Alex informed of any findings.

Ana and Will left the study with Jason following close behind with his now empty plate. Jack turned to Alex, "I'll text Bobby and let him know about Dessa. It's a little too early to call because of the time difference, but I can at least give him a heads up that I will be in touch." Alex nodded and Jack and Sue left the room.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Jack and Sue headed back to their rooms where they could talk without anyone overhearing. They discussed what had been said in the study, but could come up with no new ideas, it seemed very coincidental that there should be concerns about smuggling at the same time that Dessa had escaped but for the life of them they could not see how they could be connected. Smuggling seemed a little tame for Dessa.

"I'll text Bobby straight away then we can find something fun to do for a couple of hours," said Jack.

"I have just the thing," replied Sue. "How do you fancy a long walk followed by a picnic by the river?"

"Sounds good to me," answered Jack. Though if he were honest anything would have sounded good to him if it involved spending time with Sue.

"Good, I'll get that sorted whilst you contact Bobby. See you in half an hour in the outer hall?" She flashed a smile and headed to the kitchens, Levi following closely looking forward to snaffling more treats when his mistress was otherwise occupied.

Mrs Roseveare, the cook, greeted Sue with a bright and breezy "good morning". She quickly got Maisie, her assistant, to put together a picnic lunch and gave Sue directions to the best route down through the woods to the river. Sue thanked her for her help and was about to leave with the picnic basket when Millie came out of the scullery twirling happily at seeing Sue again. Millie and Levi renewed acquaintances before Millie began to follow Sue towards the door.

"I think you may be taking another dog with you!" laughed Mrs Roseveare.

"I think you could be right, it won't be a problem will it?" replied Sue.

"No, she tends to do that, finds a guest that she likes and glues herself to them. She'll enjoy the walk." Laughed Mrs Roseveare. "Take her lead, it's on the back of the door, she isn't too sensible when it comes to crossing roads."

Jack was seated in the outer hall when Sue and the dogs walked in. He immediately took the picnic basket from her and grabbed a blanket from a cupboard. They set off down the drive and through the arch of the gatehouse towards the river. The air was still a little cool but the clear blue sky promised a warm sunny day. Sue took a deep breath and smiled turning her face towards the sun. "It is so peaceful here," She commented before, self-consciously, taking hold of Jack's hand. Startled, Jack took a few nano-seconds before tightening his hold. Hand in hand, they walked across the parkland until they reached a gate leading into the woods. Levi had permission to be on holiday and he and Millie ran ahead sniffing at every tree. As they rounded a bend in the path the ground turned blue as thousands of bluebells basked in the sunlight glinting through the trees. Sue stopped, whipped out her phone and took a photograph, "Beautiful," she whispered. Jack looked at her, "I agree," he whispered, not meaning the bluebells and ensuring that Sue didn't notice his comment. They continued on, always taking a left turn when the path forked as Mrs Roseveare had suggested. "You do realise that if you always turn left you will end up back where you started," Laughed Jack. Sue grinned back, "Well if we do," she said, teasingly. "We can always get a map!"

However, Mrs Roseveare's instructions proved true and eventually they arrived at a gate leading onto the road. Directly ahead was a car park and to the left a path leading to the riverside and the picnic area. There were one or two families already there, playing in the water, and an ice-cream van that Jack eyed eagerly.

"When you have eaten all your lunch!" stated Sue sternly, Jack pouted and tried the puppy eyes, as did Levi and Millie. Sue burst out laughing and quickly snapped a photo.

Although they were there to have fun, Jack and Sue also paid a great deal of interest in the boats which were moored either in the river or against the pontoon deck. Most seemed to be local but there were one or two from further afield. They tried to work out which one might be Lionel's but Sue couldn't remember if Lionel had told her its name so they played a guessing game, deciding that 'Carpe Diem' sounded pompous enough though Jack was edging towards 'Aquaholic' because he said that it reflected Lionel's florid appearance. Levi and Millie spent the time playing together in the water's edge before finally coming and flopping down on the grass by Jack and Sue. Sue began to unpack the picnic food and they spent a long while munching away and watching the world go by. The sun felt quite hot by now and both Jack and Sue began to feel drowsy and before long they were snoozing contentedly on the rug.

Sue was woken abruptly by Levi and was startled at how cold it had become. The sun had vanished and dark rainclouds covered the sky. Quickly Sue woke Jack and they agreed that perhaps they ought to set off back to the house. The other families were of the same mind, though they all seemed to have come by car and so would avoid the soaking. Jack stared at the ice-cream van with longing but Sue dragged him past promising him one another day. They headed back into the woods which looked far more gloomy and sinister than earlier. The wind had started to rise and the trees swayed around them, then the first raindrops began. They were about half way back when Sue noticed that Millie had disappeared, she called her name loudly but nothing. Jack lent his louder voice and finally Millie appeared from slightly higher up the hill but refused to come closer, indeed she ran further away towards a rocky outcrop. Sue and Jack called again and were about to head on hoping that Millie would follow when Levi also took off. Sue was cross and stomped after him, it was at that moment that the rain really came down but Sue had seen something, a gap in the rock that looked big enough to shelter in. She called to Jack who ran towards her and they headed towards the gap. If it hadn't been for Millie they would not have seen it as it was well hidden from all angles. The narrow entrance opened out into a narrow tunnel, just slightly taller than Jack and wide enough for one person. Millie barked and carried on.

"Got a torch?" asked Sue. Jack shook his head.

"I do have a flashlight on my phone though," he announced.

"Me too, "said Sue. "We'll use yours first and then mine if yours runs out of battery."

"You aren't thinking of following the tunnel surely!" exclaimed Jack.

Sue shrugged, "Why not? It could be one of the smuggling tunnels Jason spoke about. Who knows where it goes."

"Exactly! Which is why we should just wait here for the rain the stop." Protested Jack.

"Party pooper," signed Sue with a grin. "Besides, we have to find Millie," She wheedled. "Do you want to tell Alex that you lost his late mother's dog?"

Jack pulled a face and was about to argue that Millie would be well able to find her own way home but realised that he would soon cave and that Sue would get her way so he switched on his phone's torch and they set off down the tunnel one behind each other.

The tunnel went downhill for a while before the path levelled out, though it remained as narrow and Jack caught his arm several times on the rough walls making him wince. They had caught up with Mille and she seemed overwhelmingly pleased to see them twirling and barking and almost tripping Jack up. Jack managed to get her to quieten down, he felt apprehensive about the tunnel and constantly scanned the walls for other passageways but the walls remained unbroken. Finally the tunnel came to an end. Sue bumped into Jack when he stopped abruptly.

"Is it blocked?" she asked. Jack turned, shining the light onto his face so that she could read his lips.

"No," he replied. "There are stairs going up. Be careful it is very narrow and uneven. It looks like these stairs have seen a lot of use." Cautiously he made his way up listening carefully, just in case. At last a wooden door blocked his way and Jack waited, wondering what was on the other side and listening intently for any noises, but Millie took over and jumped with both front paws against the door and it swung open easily. Jack tiptoed forward and saw another door of better quality to the side of him. This one Millie nosed open.

"You'll never guess where we are!" said Jack in amazement.

"Where are we?" demanded Sue.

Jack pushed the door open further to reveal Sue's bedroom!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Jack and Sue were speechless. Millie looked inordinately proud of herself and ran to Levi's bowl of water for a quick drink. Disgusted at the liberty taken, Levi flopped onto his sleeping spot. As Sue entered into her room in amazement, Jack began to examine the inner door, the hinges were well oiled, to prevent squeaking, and there was a broken lock on the inside of the cupboard allowing easy access to the room. This led Jack to all kinds of different worries; especially about 'mice'.

"You don't suppose the mouse Levi heard last night was really a person," said Sue, calmly. Jack groaned inwardly, trust Sue to think of that one.

"If some-one wanted to get into the house secretly they could come in this way. They might have thought that the room was empty or if they knew I was in here that I wouldn't be disturbed because I'm deaf. They didn't consider that Levi might be alerted." Explained Sue.

"Well if it was a person then Levi scared them away," replied Jack. "But I think it would be best if we swapped rooms just in case."

"No it wouldn't," argued Sue. "They know Levi is in here so won't risk coming this way again. If they realise that it is just you then who knows what might happen!" Jack was preparing to argue his point when his phone rang. It was Bobby. He quickly explained where they were and what was happening. Bobby had heard about Dessa and he promised to look into it further and to get back in touch later, possibly through a video link so that they could talk for longer. Jack ended the call and was about to resume his argument with Sue when he realised that she had sneakily taken the opportunity to leave the room whilst he was distracted.

The rain was still coming down heavily so Sue made her way to the sitting room. It was empty, apart from Lionel, who spotted her before she could retreat.

"Weather catch you out?" he asked. "Me too, I was going to go down the river towards the coast but the mists will be coming down so it will be too dangerous. The river is silted in places and I don't want to get stuck." He explained.

Sue nodded searching for something to say, "Have you known Alex long?" She almost cringed when the banal question popped out.

"All his life," replied Lionel, to her surprise. "We're family." Sue was startled even more her amazement reflecting in her face.

"We share a great grandfather," he explained. "My grandfather and Alex's were twins. Alex's was the elder and so all this came down through the family to him and we had to find our own way. Not that we are doing badly," he added quickly. "And I do get to visit here every time city life begins to pall."

Sue nodded "You are lucky," she said. "It is a beautiful place." Curiously, she began to compare Lionel to Alex, there were some similarities in appearance that showed evidence of a familial connection which she hadn't noticed before. However, Lionel seemed to be quite a bit older than Alex, less trim and with indications of an over-indulgent lifestyle. At that moment, much to Sue's relief, Jack walked in grinning. Lionel moved towards the drinks table to replenish his glass as Jack took hold of Sue's hand and led her down a short flight of stairs and into the Jacobean gallery. Instantly Sue's eyes were drawn upwards to the ornate plaster ceiling showing images from the book of Genesis. Jack didn't let her linger but pulled her to the end of the room where they could talk with a degree of privacy. He signed "sorry"

"You can stay in your room, I'm being over protective as usual," he smiled sheepishly. "I'll … we'll let Alex know about the tunnel and think of a way to block it from the outside so that no-one else can get in. It does explain why we keep finding Millie in our part of the house though doesn't it. She must be using it as her own personal shortcut!"

Alex and Jason were amazed when they heard about the tunnel. Jason wanted to go down it straight away but Alex pointed out that they ought to make it secure for Sue's peace of mind. Once it had stopped raining he was more than ready to explore it from the other end in the wood. Jason scowled a little but agreed to the necessity even helping to fix the bolts to the door so that it could still be accessed from inside the house. Jack then spoke to Alex about a video link and they went to the study to set one up for later when Bobby got back in touch.

The afternoon passed restfully, Bobby contacted Jack again but had nothing to add to what they already knew though he did say that he would keep them informed of any developments. Thankfully the heavy rain stopped around dinner time allowing Jack and Sue to have a leisurely stroll around the garden after their meal before joining the others in the sitting room for card games. Towards midnight, as they were going to bed, Alex drew Jack to one side and mentioned that the conditions would be just right for an early morning surf if he was interested. Jack looked apprehensive until he found that that 'early morning' wasn't as early as he thought and he accepted the invitation eagerly.

The following morning, an extremely tired but, at the same time, invigorated Jack arrived back at the house having had an excellent time surfing at Polzeath. Alex parked his car at the stables and they were making their way around to the front of the house when a noise form above caused Jack to lift his head. They were beneath Sue's window and he could see Levi, pacing up and down on the window seat, barking furiously. Levi had obviously seen him too and the barking intensified. An uncomfortable sensation of disaster flooded through Jack nearly causing him to stumble before yelling, "Sue's in trouble!" and ran into the house as quickly as he could, Alex on his heels. He burst into Sue's room and was immediately accosted by Levi who was whining anxiously. Of Sue there was no sign, he checked the bathroom and his own room and even peered under the bed, much to Alex's amusement. Jack was frantic, remembering all the times that Sue had been in danger or abducted during other assignments surely it couldn't be happening again? Had Dessa played a part in this?

"You know she could just be somewhere in the house," commented Alex, trying to appear calm.

"No, not without Levi," responded Jack. "Where is she Levi?" Levi turned towards the cupboard and scratched the door. Jack opened it and saw that the inner door instead of being bolted shut, was also open.

"Don't go anywhere," ordered Alex. "I'll get the torches." Fortunately, there was a storage closet close by with a selection of emergency items in it (in case of power cuts) and he was back in no time with two powerful torches; he handed one to Jack and, taking a deep breath, they stepped through the tunnel door.

Jack led the way going the full length of the tunnel without finding any sign of Sue. He looked outside at the ground for traces of footprints, wishing that he had Bobby's tracking skills because he certainly couldn't decipher anything in the mud made by yesterday's rain. A bark from Levi made him look up, Levi still seemed to be inside the tunnel. Puzzled, Alex and Jack made their way back inside until they reached Levi's side. Levi was pacing and scratching at the wall, Alex shone his torch and they both looked closely. Suddenly, Alex exclaimed and pointed at a thin line, tracing it along and down the wall forming a door shape. Could it be another blocked off tunnel? After many minutes of trying various methods of opening the door from pushing, sliding and, in sheer frustration on Jack's part, 'alohomora' Alex finally found a stone in the wall which could be pulled out part way causing the bolt in the door to drop down allowing it to open. The door swung surprising easily and as their torch light shone through the opening they saw Sue sitting with her back against the wall, her knees up to her chest and her eyes tight shut. Levi bounded through, Jack's relief at finding her safe making him only a fraction slower than her furry friend. Sue jumped when she felt Levi's wet nose in her face then she lifted her head and saw Jack in the doorway. Carefully she stood up, her legs a little numb from being seated for such a long time but before she had taken two steps she found herself engulfed in Jack's arms before being roughly pushed away as he 'shouted' at her in sign. Alex, noticing how pale Sue looked soon stopped the tirade and suggested that they found somewhere more comfortable to finish this. With a deep breath, Jack pulled himself together and led the way back up the corridor with Sue right behind him.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Once back inside the house Alex led them to a small sitting room and then said that he was going to make them a nice soothing pot of tea. He left them and closed the door firmly behind himself.

Sue went and sat on a wide comfy chair and stared down at her hands, Levi placed his head on her knee in support. She had never seen Jack this angry before and was unsure how to react. Jack was too fraught to sit and so began pacing the floor running his hands through his hair until it stuck out in spikes. Finally, he stopped in front of her chair causing her to look up.

"Do you remember how you felt when I set myself up as a target for the sniper?" he said, struggling to keep calm. Sue was surprised, she had expected him to shout, to reprimand her and had been preparing herself to defend her actions; the question had thrown her. She thought back to what had been one of the worst times of her life, especially when the sniper had demonstrated his proficiency by shooting the coffee mug from Jack's hand right in front of her. Sue nodded.

"Well that's how I felt when I realised that something was wrong," explained Jack. Sue flushed she hadn't considered that she might have seriously worried Jack, though knowing how he had reacted to other occasions when she had found herself in trouble should have given her a clue. She was about to apologise when Jack's next words stopped her.

"What were you thinking?" he demanded. "What part of 'not going it alone' did you not understand?" Sue straightened her spine even further, ready for battle. He was not going to treat her like a naughty child!

"I wasn't alone, I had Levi," she replied defiantly.

"No you didn't, Levi was upstairs in your room!"

"Which is how you knew something was wrong and came looking for me, "countered Sue. "If Levi had been with me then you may never have found us."

Jack blanched, "I know." He said, his voice barely a whisper. Although Sue couldn't hear how he said the words his facial expression filled in the gaps, immediately she felt contrite. "I'm sorry," she said and signed then grabbed his hand pulling him down to her level. "I didn't really think. Levi heard something in the cupboard and I went to look, I was going to get him to do his 'snarly face' but when I unbolted the door Millie was there so I let her in."

Jack groaned, "The bolts were to keep people out, they were to remain bolted."

"I know," answered Sue "but that isn't why I went back into the tunnel. This is why." From her jeans pocket she pulled out a piece of gold jewellery and handed it to Jack. "Millie was carrying this, I wanted to see where she found it," She said. Jack turned the piece over in his hand. It was a locket with a thin gold chain threaded through the loop. Fumbling slightly with the tiny clasp he opened it and was disappointed when no picture was revealed.

"Look closely," instructed Sue. "Do you see the initials?" Jack held it towards the light coming through the window and saw the letters F and L intertwining on the inside.

"This isn't a clue," he said, reluctantly. "Millie could have found it anywhere. You know that she likes to wander."

"I know, I thought that too then I realised that it is too clean. It really rained yesterday, surely it would be dirty or muddy or something," she explained, desperate to validate her actions.

"Or maybe they dropped it this morning and are even now, as we speak, looking for it." Countered Jack. Sue looked crestfallen.

"How did you come to get stuck in the new tunnel?" asked Jack changing the subject slightly and looking round for something more comfortable to sit on than the floor. Sue squished over in her chair making room for him to sit down which he did much to Sue's relief, perhaps he wasn't quite so cross with her now. She explained that she and the two dogs had gone into the tunnel, Sue using the flashlight on her phone to light the way. "I don't know how Millie can do it in the dark," she shuddered remembering the total sensory deprivation that she had experienced. Continuing with her story she explained how they had gone part of the way down when Levi had suddenly stopped, refusing to go any further. He had jumped up onto Sue in the same way that he did when there was a knock at the door and Sue had toppled back managing to knock the mechanism that opened the secret entrance. Curiosity taking over, Sue had gone through it only for something to fly into her face. "I bat I think," she shuddered. "Which was good," she added positively "because it told me that there was another way out." However, the shock had sent her backwards causing her to hit her head on the wall, bounce sideways and inadvertently push the door shut. Luckily Levi was still on the outside.

"I spent ages trying to find out how to open the door again but no luck," she continued. "So I set off up the tunnel hoping to find the other exit but I hadn't gone far before my phone battery died and I was stuck there in the dark." Jack took both of her hands in his knowing what being in the total dark would mean to her. "It seemed like ages, but it probably wasn't, before you came. I was scared though. I was so relieved that Levi had been on the other side of the entrance when the door closed otherwise who knows when we would have been found." Sue gave a little tremble as the reality of the situation began to sink in and Jack wrapped her in his arms relieved that the worst hadn't happened. They sat like that for a while, relishing the closeness until the door swung open and Ana's head popped around, "Knock, Knock," she said "I've brought the tea trolley if you're interested?"

"You're back!" exclaimed Sue, sitting upright but still holding onto Jack's hand. "Any luck?"

"Later," replied Ana "When Alex and the others are ready. There is lots to discuss."

Ana wheeled the trolley in and produced tea, coffee, scones, saffron cake, small sandwiches and Cornish fairings.

"I'm famished!" exclaimed Sue "I hadn't realised that we had missed lunch!" Both she and Jack helped themselves and contentedly chewed away until there was very little left apart from crumbs. Jack had just swallowed the last morsel of scone when Jason, Will and Alex came in and made themselves comfortable whilst Ana took the tea trolley back to the kitchen. Sue could feel herself becoming impatient, she wanted to know what had been found out and now that she had been fed the drama of the morning had eased away and she was once more ready for action.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Unfortunately Sue found that her patience had to last a little longer because no sooner had Ana got back than the door opened again and Lionel walked through. If he was surprised to find all of them there he didn't show it.

"Just to let you know coz," he began, looking directly at Alex "I'm taking Frances to the Isles of Scilly for a few days. She has a hankering to visit the gardens at Tresco so I said that as the weather forecast was good I'd take her. Don't worry, we'll be back in time for your party"

"No problems," replied Alex "Is Aunt Judith going with you or Richard?"

"Richard is meeting up with friends in Truro and Frances is hoping to give Judith the slip. You know how it is." Lionel grinned giving Alex an exaggerated stage wink. Alex nodded his head a look of annoyance flitting across his face which surprised Sue a little. Whistling a tune Lionel left the room.

"Are you having a party?" asked Jack.

"Yes, on Saturday as it happens. Mother started the Bluebell Ball back in the day and it's become quite a tradition. All the local people and estate workers are invited it's tremendous fun even if it feels a little hectic," explained Alex "Didn't I mention it when I invited you to visit? You will still be here on Saturday won't you?" he added. Jack and Sue exchanged a glance, as much as Sue would have loved to attend she hadn't brought any suitable clothes for a ball. Jack gave her a smirk and said that they would still be there on Saturday.

"Don't worry…," began Ana but Will quickly interrupted.

"No clothes talk," he said "We have things to discuss about more serious issues." Much to Sue's amusement, Ana stuck her tongue out at Will then put on a suitable serious face. Will grinned.

"I pulled in a few favours," began Will "Following the FBI's identification of auction websites as a means to pass on information we've been monitoring them quite avidly. According to those in the know, this is no longer the preferred way to pass on orders. However, there have been one or two online dating sites which have come to our attention. I spent a few hours trawling through these…" he glared at Ana who was giving him a dirty look whilst trying hard not to laugh "…with a colleague of mine and we found a possible source of information. He is going to keep watch and let me know if anything comes up. All we know at the moment is that something big is about to happen and soon."

"That's pretty much what my snitches have said to me," confirmed Ana "Dessa hasn't been specifically mentioned but they all say it isn't a local group and that there are a lot of tense people with terrorist links looking very busy."

"There is still no news about Dessa's whereabouts," said Jack "He appears to have vanished off the face of the planet. The FBI think that he is still in the US but we know he is a skilled yachtsman. My bet is that he has got himself a boat and is somewhere on the ocean."

"All the ports and harbours are being watched," said Alex "But we are an island and there are plenty of places he could land without anyone noticing. In the meantime, everyone is on alert and we'll do everything we can to stop whatever it is that is about to happen." The room went silent as they all sat and thought about the implications. They knew something was about to happen but where, when or to whom was still a mystery.

"I hear that you have been having adventures of your own," said Jason to Sue, changing the subject quickly "Alex says that you have found another tunnel. I can't believe that we spent years of our childhood looking for them with no luck and you manage to find two in as many days!"

"Technically," replied Sue "I only sort of found one and both times it was with the help of a canine sleuth." She grinned and ruffled Levi's fur.

"Can we go and explore?" Jason fluttered his eyelashes at Alex who threw a cushion at him.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" he demanded "We are supposed to be thwarting terrorists."

"All work and no play…" began Jason "Are you up for it Sue? I don't want to push for it if you feel at all uneasy." All eyes turned to Sue.

"I'll be fine," she answered "and it isn't as if I will be on my own this time!" Levi huffed in disgust. "I know Levi, if it wasn't for you I would still be there; probably." Sue tugged on his ear affectionately.

Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible they agreed to enter the tunnels through Sue's room. Everyone had a powerful torch and a bottle of water, just in case. Jason led the way and Sue smiled at his enthusiasm as he practically skipped down the narrow stairs to the passageway below. It took a while to locate the new entrance as it was almost invisibly cut into the wall but they were soon opening the door and wandering through. It was then that Sue noticed a heavy object in Alex's hand which he used to stop the door from closing fully. "Cannonball," he explained "A remnant from the civil war. The house was laid sieged by the Royalists and this is one of the gifts they threw at us!"

A short distance down the tunnel the corridor opened up into a wide cave. It looked as if it was a natural cavern as the walls varied in height and there were several rocky ledges and crevices. Curiously they explored the area and in one corner found a small collection of barrels which proved to be empty. Jason swore that he could smell tobacco in them and that this cave had to be a storage space for smuggled contraband from centuries ago. Everyone agreed whilst bursting into laughter. Then Will found another tunnel, just as narrow and as high as the one they had come down into the cave, this showed signs of being worked and Ana commented that the smugglers or whoever had probably widened a natural cleft in the rocks. Again they entered the passageway and found themselves going downhill for quite a distance before the tunnel opened up again into a smaller cave which was damp and covered in green slime and ferns where a soft light touched the walls. Alex shone his torch upwards and they saw a small colony of bats nesting on the ceiling. "We must be near to the entrance," he whispered.

Sue pointing to one side where a shaft of light appeared through a gap in the vegetation and she quickly went in that direction and away from the bats. The other followed as the light got brighter and the cave became wetter and wetter with large puddles collecting in the dips in the floor. Trying to keep their feet as dry as possible they came to the entrance and blinking their eyes against the glare of the sun saw the river a few feet away from them.

"I think your smuggling idea is right," said Alex "The smugglers could come up river to here, unload the stuff and sail away without anyone being the wiser. Looking at the water though I would say that the tide is coming back in and it would appear that it comes well up the tunnel. I suggest we have a leisurely stroll back." Everyone turned and followed, now their curiosity about where the tunnel led to had been appeased they spent time looking at the walls for more hidden entrances but without any luck. Jason was determined however to come back later for a more thorough exploration.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The next few days passed quietly, the weather remained fine allowing Jack and Sue to explore the surrounding area. There was a lot of different things to do from visiting the beach to exploring ruined castles and visiting the home of King Arthur out on the rocky north coast where, from the top of the high cliffs, they saw seals floating in the calm waters. Sometimes Hazel and Mike went with them, they knew the area well and so could take them to places not many tourists found but mostly it was just Sue, Jack and Levi. Sue treasured these moments the most, storing the memories for the future when they went back to being co-workers on the same team at the FBI.

The news from London about the terrorists was frustrating, every lead appearing to come to a dead end. The strain was beginning to show and Alex, Will and Ana spent time going on wild goose chases to various ports where sightings of Arif Dessa had been made. On top of this there was the ball to prepare for and Alex was quite willing to postpone it until later in the year but Ana and Sue persuaded him to go ahead with it, life had to appear as if everything was normal if they didn't want to arouse suspicion.

One afternoon, Ana took Sue up into the attics. It was to be a fancy dress ball and Ana explained that they could possibly find a costume stored in one of the many boxes and chests kept there from all the previous balls and parties given over the past decades. They spent a few hours holding up various outfits and deciding which ones would need the least alteration to fit. Ana was tempted by a sleeveless Egyptian style dress in midnight blue with gold trimmings that hugged the waist and followed the shape of her body before flaring out slightly below her knees and going into a tiny train at the back. However, she decided that the costume she had brought with her was just as suitable and, of course, wouldn't need any alterations. Sue decided on a simple but elegant white witch costume decorated with silver ribbons and a matching flowing cloak with long mediaeval sleeves and a hood. Fortunately, it didn't need much work doing to it to make it fit and Ana said that she was more than capable of doing the work needed. They showed the dress to Mrs Roseveare who thought that it needed more shape to it as it was quite soft and loose, she suggested a corset and magically produced one within the hour. It was a strange sensation wearing it but Sue did agree that the dress looked much better with it beneath. Jack tried to get her to tell him what her costume was, or better still to show him, saying that she already knew what his suit looked like so it was only fair that he knew what her's was like. Sue retorted that he shouldn't be wearing a suit and that there were plenty of costumes up in the attic suitable for him if he took the time to look. Jack looked aghast at the thought and Sue grinned at his discomfort.

It was now Thursday and they were due back in London to catch their flight home on the following Monday. Both were reluctant to return without resolving the terrorist issue but when Jack mentioned this to Demetrius he was told that they were needed back in DC and that they were to return as previously planned. That meant that they had only four days to come up with something but there was no information whatsoever to help them. Even the smuggling rumours that Jason had originally been assigned to investigate had come to nothing. Thankfully, the dating website was proving to be promising, if a little confusing, and the details had been passed on to Tara to see if she could use her steganography wizardry to make things clearer. They had worked out that each of the people identified on the website represented a different terrorist, there were six in total, but it wasn't clear if they were male or female or a mix. It also implied that they would be in the country by Friday but gave no details of how they were to arrive. Consequently, all ports and airports were under surveillance though everyone knew how difficult it would be to spot them. To make things even harder, as Alex had already pointed out, Britain was an island and they hadn't the man-power available to watch all of the coast.

It was 2 o'clock in the morning and Jack was lying awake pondering the problems facing them. This in itself was annoying as he had always been able to separate the job from the home and he resented that this investigation was keeping him awake. Suddenly a noise got his attention, was that Levi? There it was again, Levi was definitely barking. Quickly Jack jumped out of bed and ran towards Sue's room. He knocked loudly on the door and was about to turn the handle when the door swung open and a very groggy looking Sue stood before him.

"Are you alright?" he demanded.

"Not really," she replied "I was peacefully sleeping when a ton of dog landed in my lap."

"Sorry," he said and signed "Levi was barking and I thought there might be a problem."

"I didn't hear him," countered Sue, feeling a little more awake and turning towards him with a glare. Levi huffed then jumped up at Jack before darting towards the cupboard that led to the secret passage. Jack and Sue looked at each other before following Levi.

"Do you think he heard some-one down in the tunnel?" asked Sue.

"Who would be down there?" replied Jack.

"Millie?"

"Well if it is she knows her way back here over-ground as well so I say leave her. I'm back to bed." Jack turned to go back to his room but Sue put a hand on his arm.

"What if it isn't, shouldn't we check?" she said.

"The door is bolted, if anyone is wandering around down there then they have my permission. I'm certainly not in a position to confront them and neither are you. Cute PJs by the way are they dog paws?" grinned Jack as Sue turned an interesting shade of pink.

"I still think we need to take a quick peek, just in case," she said opening the cupboard door.

"Wait!" exclaimed Jack "Look at the door."

"The bolt is unlatched," said Sue "I don't remember unbolting it. Do you think some-one has been in my room?"

"I don't know, but you are not staying here it could be dangerous."

"Haven't we had this conversation before," remarked Sue. "Look I will be perfectly safe. If anyone has tried to come up the tunnel then Levi's barking will have sent them away. I can bolt the door again and block the other door." She slid the bolt in place then closed the cupboard door and put a chair under the handle. "If anyone tries to get in that way the whole house will hear." Jack wasn't too pleased but he recognised Sue's stubborn look and decided not to cause an argument.

"OK, I'm not happy but if you promise to leave your door ajar and I'll do the same with mine then Levi can come and get me if he hears anything else." Compromised Jack.

Sue smiled at her victory and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. "Thank you. I don't think anything else will happen tonight, Levi will have scared them off but it's good to know you have my back."

"Always," replied Jack firmly "Now if I can't convince you to sleep on my couch then I shall leave you in peace. Sweet dreams!" He grinned, turned and left the room whilst Sue hopped back into bed, allowing Levi to jump up for once as well. It took them both a little while before they fell asleep but nothing else disturbed them until the smell of bacon came wafting up in the morning.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Mike and Hazel had arranged to take Jack and Sue to the Minack, the open air theatre located on the cliffs in the west of the county. They had been there a few times and had talked about the various performances that they had seen and how, once, the show had been overshadowed by a pod of dolphins swimming by and on another memorable occasion a huge thunderstorm had come out of no-where and left everyone soaked through. Jack and Sue were excited to go and Sue managed to get ready extra quickly so that when she arrived at the drawing room there was only Frances there. Sue hadn't realised that she and Lionel were back and because of Frances' attitude towards her on the first night had tried to avoid her company. She was tempted to step out of the room before she was spotted, however, one look at Frances' face showed Sue that she quite unhappy and Sue being Sue couldn't let it be without trying to help.

"Hi Frances, you're back," she began. "How was your trip? You went to see some gardens didn't you?"

"It was fine," replied Frances.

"What was the journey like, the sea wasn't too rough was it?" asked Sue, desperately trying to think of something to say.

"No the sea was fine," the answers were short and to the point.

"Good, I thought it may have been a little choppy. I hope you don't mind me saying but you do look a little under the weather. I thought you might still be feeling a little sea sick." She explained.

"No. But thank you for asking."

Sue looked towards the ceiling for inspiration but nothing came. Frances looked nervous, her hand moving towards her throat then away again. She saw Sue watching her.

"I lost my necklace," she said. "I keep forgetting then I go to hold it…" she shrugged. Sue began to nod and then said, "What sort of necklace was it?"

"A locket, my late husband gave it to me. I feel quite lost without it." Quickly, Sue stood up and went to her bag that she had left on a sofa near the door. Reaching inside she pulled out the necklace that Millie had found and handed it to Frances.

"Millie found this a few days ago by the river. Is it yours?" Frances' eyes lit up and tears appeared as she nodded, she took it from Sue's hand and opened it up.

"Our initials," she said. "Frances and Louis. Louis gave it to me on our first anniversary and I've worn it ever since. I wondered where I'd lost it, the catch isn't very secure you see." Sue nodded understandingly, "I feel the same about my cross," she said. "My dad gave it to me on my sixteenth birthday and I couldn't not wear it now." There was a pause in the conversation and Sue was just about to get up and go and look for Jack when Frances spoke. "I'm sorry about that first night, I was rude to you. I have no excuse apart from being in a bad temper. I thought Lionel had asked me here to be kind, but he hadn't and I was cross at being duped again."

"I don't understand," said Sue. "Has Lionel taken you places before pretending to be kind? I thought he was your cousin? Surely you must meet up a lot at family events."

"He's only a distant cousin, I have no connection to Alex at all. In fact it was Louis who knew Lionel, the family connection only came to light a long time after we were introduced. I don't like Lionel, he used to take Louis to a casino he was a member of and the races and other things. We didn't have much money and Louis wasn't lucky but Lionel was always throwing his cash around. It gave Louis ideas. We quarrelled about it the night Louis died then Lionel came and 'smoothed things over'. Why would he have to do that if everything was ok?" her voice was becoming higher and higher but before Sue could say anything to calm her down Aunt Judith came into the room. She looked at Sue before putting her arm around Frances and gently led her out of the room. Sue was concerned about what Frances had revealed to her but was unsure about how she could be of any help. She looked at the clock and saw that she was still too early and so decided to go back to her room and read for a while.

Just as she reached the door to their corridor Jack came jogging up the stairs, he had obviously been running and needed to wash and change before they could go out. He noticed that Sue looked thoughtful and asked her what was up.

"Nothing really, I've just been talking to Frances and she has got me a little concerned that's all," she explained.

"Talk to me about it," said Jack leading her into his room and inviting her to sit on the sofa. Sue explained that the necklace she had found belonged to Frances. "I said that I had found it by the river and she accepted that but I think Millie found it in the tunnel and if she did then how did France know where the tunnel was and what was she doing in there? There seems to be a lot of people who know about the tunnels which is odd if Jason and Alex spent most of their youth looking for them without success." Jack nodded. "And then there was the bit about her husband and Lionel, I got the impression that something wasn't right about the way he died, that something was hushed up. And then the way Judith came and took her away as if she didn't want her to talk to me. I'm worried."

Jack took her hand and gave it a squeeze, "I agree there is a lot to think about there and I know you want to help but is now the right time?" he began. "We have other things to sort out first. I don't like the thought that Lionel may have some sort of hold over her but until Dessa is caught we have to focus on that."

Sue nodded, "I know, but I'm still going to keep an eye on her, just in case and if she needs a friend then I will be there."

"I know and you wouldn't be you if you didn't want to help. Now, if will excuse me I intend to have a quick shower and get changed. I'll see you in the drawing room in about fifteen minutes?" He gave her a hug. "You are right to worry about her Sue and if anyone can help her it will be you." Sue smiled and left the room. She felt much better now that she had shared her concerns with Jack.

The weather remained perfect for the performance and the sun shining on the calm sea added to the atmosphere of the theatre. The play was well acted and the audience was invited to join in at certain times, Sue was particularly pleased to see that this performance had a sign language interpreter though of course this was in BSL rather than ASL. As they were about to leave the theatre Mike pointed towards the sky where dark rainclouds were beginning to gather. "The weather is about to change," he said. "Shame, it looks like it might be a wet ball tomorrow, it's going to be quite chaotic if we are all confined to the house."

"Oh don't be so pessimistic," laughed Hazel. "I bet that it will have cleared up by lunchtime tomorrow and it won't dampen the ball at all."

"I agree," said Sue decidedly. Jack smiled but he was worried, not about the weather or the ball but for the fact that tomorrow was one of the days that had been highlighted for some form of terrorist activity and they still didn't know what.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The following morning, as Mike had predicted, the rain was coming down steadily and there was a chill in the air. Breakfast was a light affair, Mrs Roseveare being too busy with the last minute preparations for the party to provide a cooked meal. After eating a large bowl of cereal, Sue went to offer her services and was soon given the task of helping to decorate the gallery, where the buffet was to take place. A marquee, for dancing, had been set up in the front courtyard the previous day and Jack, with Jason, was on his way to the barns to collect extra chairs and tables for those who wanted to watch the dancers. Just about everyone in the house party was involved and everything was coming together nicely. In the kitchen, the caterers were starting to set up and delicious smells were beginning to permeate the air making everyone's mouths water in anticipation. Mrs Roseveare was checking that the waiting staff were all still available, a back-up list of alternative people in her hand should they be short staffed.

Sue was having a quiet moment, waiting for more supplies, when she happened to look out of the window in the morning room and into the formal garden. There was a sheltered nook under the stairs leading up to the church and she saw Lionel and Frances, she was about to turn away when she thought about what had happened the previous day. Frances still didn't look well, there were dark circles under her eyes as if she hadn't slept well. Lionel had hold of her elbow and was thrusting his red face towards her as he spoke, spittle flying. Sue was usually very strict with herself about reading other people's conversations but for some reason today she felt that it would be important to know what was being said.

"You know what to do and you will do it," Lionel was saying. "I don't know what has got into you, we planned this. Your very future depends on you holding yourself together and doing what you've been told to!"

Frances drew herself up, "No! She said. "I don't have to, you can't make me."

"Can't I? It would only take one telephone call and you would be arrested. You might not mind about spending the next 30 years in prison but who would look after your brother then? Not me, he'd have to leave that fancy nursing home that I'm paying for and then what would become of him?" Frances sagged, her one act of defiance spent, she nodded her head sadly. "I don't suppose that I have any choice, if was just me I wouldn't care who knew but there is no-one left to look after my brother properly, I'll do it, I'll do what you want but I really hope that some-one will stop you." Lionel grinned, "And who do you think would be able to do that? You couldn't do it and who else would be bothered? Aunt Judith? She's as weak as you are!" He dropped her elbow, patted her cheek and walked off grinning. Frances rubbed her arm as she sat watching the rain and praying for a solution to the terrible mess she had got herself into.

Sue turned from the window determined to join Frances in the garden only to find a large box of decorations thrust into her hands, she gave a half smile and went back to work. When she next had the opportunity to look through the window, Frances was gone and though Sue looked frequently she didn't see Frances again. To make matters even more frustrating her work load prevented her from talking to Jack she kept seeing him in the distance as he put up lights around the formal gardens but any communication between them was limited to waves as they passed on their way to do different tasks. Sue felt frustrated but there was nothing that she could do, fate seemed to be working against her. Then, before she knew it, it was time to get dressed for the ball. Maisie, who generally helped Mrs Roseveare in the kitchen, proved to be skilful in hairdressing and had offered her services to the ladies to style their hair for the night. Sue had taken her up on her offer and was extremely pleased with the result. Maisie curled and pinned but still left a long curl to cascade over her shoulder because she thought that her 'young man' might like to see her hair down causing Sue to laugh. Finally it was time to join the party. Levi nudged her to let her know that some-one was at the door and Sue opened it to find Jack dressed in his best suit looking very smart and exceedingly handsome. Jack was transfixed at the sight of Sue and it seemed ages before he managed to get out "Wow!" He handed her a single rose and held out his elbow for her to hold which she took with a shy smile, "You look great!" she said "Your tie even matches my dress!" Jack looked down at his tie and across to her, "Oh so it does, Mrs Roseveare gave it to me. I'm beginning to think that that women has hidden depths."

They walked towards the drawing room where a trickle of guests had started to come up the main staircase. Thankfully, not long after a quick break for lunch, it had stopped raining allowing the guests the opportunity to wander the gardens which would make the ball less of a crush, even with the marquee. The morning room, which led into the drawing room, contained a temporary bar and Jack got them both drinks before going into the drawing room where they met up with their fellow house guests. Alex, in his role as host, introduced Jack and Sue to some of the people who worked on the estate. Once it appeared that all the guests had arrived Alex gave a short speech thanking them for their hard work over the previous year and wished them good fortune for the next year then, after giving a toast, the Bluebell Ball and the buffet were declared to be open. There were loud cheers from the crowd and guests started down the stairs into the gallery eager to sample the fare. Jack waited for a while, chatting quietly with Sue, Ana and Will until his hunger became obvious and with a grin offered to get Sue a plate of food, she accepted pleased that she wouldn't have to worry about Levi getting trampled. Will set off with him to do the same for Ana who had been called away by Jason leaving Sue and Levi alone. Suddenly, Sue's eye was caught by a movement to her left, looking up she saw Frances in discussion with Lionel. She didn't like what she read, she knew it would be foolhardy to leave without alerting Jack, especially after last time when she had gone into the tunnels on her own and got stuck but she had a strong feeling that something bad was about to happen. As Frances and Lionel left the room Sue told Levi to stay hoping that Jack, knowing that she wouldn't leave Levi alone, would be alerted and come after her.

To her surprise, or perhaps not considering all the weird things that had been going on in there, they went towards her bedroom. She was just tip-toeing past Jack's door when a large hand was thrust across her mouth and her arm wrenched behind her back. Panicked, Sue struggled but her attacker was stronger and she was quickly overpowered and dragged towards her room.

Jack, his hands holding two plates one of which was piled high with tasty goodies, wandered back to where he had left Sue to find only Levi, looking quite distressed, waiting for him. Quickly his eyes scanned the room but there was no sign of Sue. He told himself that perhaps she had gone to the bathroom but that sixth sense that he had where Sue was concerned told him differently. He went to find the others but no-one had seen her, they did a quick search of the marquee and public areas butwith no luck; Sue seemed to have vanished!


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Hoping not to draw any attention their way, Alex gathered a small band of trusted people to him and organised a more thorough search of the house and gardens. An hour later they reported back, there was still no sign of Sue. Feeling slightly nauseated, Jack moved away hoping that the fresh air would help. He felt as if he had been punched in the stomach, where could she have gone? A whole myriad of emotions flooded through him, "I ought to have handcuffed her to me," he muttered to himself. "It's the only way I could ever make sure that she didn't wander off without letting me know where she was going!"

"We'll find her," Ana said, coming to his side and patting his shoulder. "She's always been found before. I think it is safe to assume that she hasn't just gone for a walk so I think we need to explore the tunnels."

"Of course!" exclaimed Jack. "Everything that has happened has involved the tunnels, it makes sense that she should be there." He began to set off towards their rooms but felt Ana's hand on his arm. "Jack, I know what Sue means to you but you really must put your FBI head on. We aren't going anywhere unless we are prepared. Come on, we need to join the others in Alex's study."

Jack followed her docilely realising the wisdom of her words. Alex, Jason and Will were already in the study along with two burley guys who Alex introduced as Ted and Brian from 'security'. Jack nodded his head in greeting before turning towards Alex. "We think that she may be in the tunnels," he said. Alex nodded moving towards a door in the corner of the room. Jack was surprised to see that it needed a retinal scan and thumb print to unlock it but once the door was opened he could see why. It was a veritable Aladdin's cave of weaponry. Alex began handing out guns to everyone, everyone except Jack who immediately bristled and began to protest. Rolling his eyes Alex reluctantly handed him one, "Try not to use it," he said. "I'll fill out the permission paperwork later." Weapons concealed they made their way to Sue's room and the tunnel entrance.

Sue was regretting her impulsive action. Her hands had been bound behind her back and she had been pushed, not too gently, along the tunnel to the hidden passageway that she and Levi had found, the narrowness of the passage preventing her from trying to escape. Lionel and Frances were in front of her, behind her was the hulking goon who had grabbed her and right at the very front, leading the way, were two men dressed as waiters. Sue had expected to be taken to the cavern they had found when they had explored the passageways but, to her surprise, she was taken through another hidden doorway and into a small room that had been carved out of the rock. It was cold and damp with a musty smell that tickled Sue's nose making her want to sneeze. The floor was slippery underfoot and Sue could feel the water soaking through her thin, impractical party slippers and beginning to chill her feet. Frances followed her in and the door closed behind them.

"Sue, you really should have left well alone," she said without emotion. "These are terrible people, they'll probably just leave you here and no-one will ever find you." Sue had already come to that conclusion and was hoping to try and persuade Frances to let her go.

"What about you Frances?" asked Sue. "Are you safe from them?"

Frances shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. Perhaps, whilst ever Lionel is safe I should be." Sue decided to lay all her cards on the table.

"I saw you talking to Lionel this morning," she began. "I broke my rule and read what you were saying because I am worried about you and I want to help you. Lionel said that you could go to prison, why?" Frances said nothing.

"Alex could help you," she continued. "I know that you aren't related but you are friends and Alex helps his friends." Still Frances said nothing.

"What happened to your brother, why is he in hospital? I can tell that you care for him a lot. Please talk to me Frances, I want to help you. I want to stop Lionel from hurting you. Please let me."

Finally Frances spoke, "You can't help me. I've made my bed and now I have to lie in it."

"What did you do Frances, why does Lionel have such a hold over you?" asked Sue desperately. Instead of replying, Frances produced a blindfold. "I'm sorry Sue, I have to do this, you can't be allowed to escape. I'll be taking the torch with me; it will be quite dark; you won't be able to find your way out. I'm really sorry but these people are dangerous and I need to protect my brother." Quickly and deftly she tied the blindfold over Sue's eyes trying hard not to look at the terror which flashed across her face.

"You don't have to do this Frances!" Sue struggled with her bonds but they were tightly secured. However, she was talking to herself, Frances had already gone and Sue was alone in the dark.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Alex directed Jason, Ted and Brian to the river telling them to go down stream by boat to the cave entrance they had found earlier. He, Jack, Will and Ana made their way up the stairs next to Jack and Sue's rooms. At the top of the stairs they found Levi waiting for them, he approached Jack and placed his paws on his shoulders whimpering as he did so. Jack understood how he felt but giving the command to 'get down' he quickly followed the others through the door with Levi at his heels.

"Sorry buddy," said Jack sadly, opening his room door to put Levi inside. "You can't come with us. Stay here whilst I bring her back." But Levi wouldn't stay and refused to go through the door digging his paws into the carpet and sitting down.

"OK, OK you win, you can come with us," said Jack, determined not to waste any more time. Straight away, Levi stood up and trotted after Jack. Alex rolled his eyes when he saw the furry shadow and Jack shrugged his shoulders "He may be useful," he said. He switched on his torch and began the descent into the tunnels. Without even having to discuss it they made their way to the new passage and carefully opened the door listening out for any noise. It was silent. However, as they went further along they began to hear the murmur of voices ahead and they slowed. The voices seemed to be quite a distance away but they couldn't be sure and it was possible that the tunnels could be distorting the sound. No-one liked the fact that the tunnel was so narrow or that there was nowhere to hide should it become necessary. Stealthily, they crept along always listening for a change in volume of the voices. Suddenly, Jack realised that Levi was no longer at his side he turned round and flashed his torch up the tunnel where he could see Levi pacing backwards and forwards. "Alex, "he hissed. "Levi's acting strange, I'm going to see what's wrong, don't wait for me." Alex nodded to show that he had heard and Jack went back up the tunnel to Levi.

"What's up buddy?" he asked. "Come on, there's nothing here." Again Levi's stubborn streak kicked in, causing Jack to smile as it reminded him of his owner, and refusing again to budge Levi looked at the wall and whined.

"Levi!" exclaimed Jack "we don't have time for this. Come on!" he grabbed hold of his collar but Levi dug his feet in. "OK." Said Jack, trying to remain calm. "You obviously think that there is something here, I will look for two minutes and if I find nothing you will come with me. Deal?" Levi woofed and placed his paws on the wall. Jack shone his torch where Levi stood but could see nothing unusual then just as he was about to call Levi on their deal he saw it; a small hole in the wall just big enough for a finger. He slid his index finger inside and found a lever which, after a little experimenting, he was able to pull towards him. There was a click and part of the wall swung inwards, quickly grabbing Levi who was beside himself with excitement he entered the room.

He had thought that finding her after Simon had lured her into the office block had been his worst experience but he was unprepared for the sight that greeted him. Sue had managed to bring her arms to the front but had been unable to loosen or remove the bindings. She had obviously tried as her wrists were rubbed raw and dried blood smeared her hands. She was seated on the damp floor, her head balanced on her knees which were pulled up towards her chest and her arms hugging them tightly. The blindfold was still in place and Jack knew how much she hated being in the dark. Holding onto Levi's collar, so that he didn't startle her, they moved towards her Jack unsure how to proceed. Finally he touched her shoulder whilst making a 'J' shape into her hand, at the same time Levi licked her other hand. Jack carefully removed her blindfold causing her to squint in the bright light.

"You found me!" she exclaimed, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Levi found you, I was just helping," replied Jack with a twitch of his mouth, trying to alleviate the tension, before pulling her into a tight hug. He held her for a long time before realising that he ought to get her out of there. He tugged at the ropes and eventually managed to release her hands. Sue rubbed her wrists to get the circulation back into them.

"Let's get you out of here," he said leading her through the door.

"No wait!" Sue began then told him about what she had seen between Lionel and Frances as well as who had brought her down there. "I think that something is going to happen tonight, in fact it might be happening right now! We have to do something!"

"We are doing something," replied Jack. "But you are not, look at your wrists you are in no fit state to do anything. Those cuts need treating before they become infected."

"There will be time for that later," answered Sue. "I can help you. Please. Besides I am worried about Frances she needs my help and I know that I can reach her." Jack looked at her giving her a slight smile.

"I should put my foot down," he said "but I know that it will have no effect on you. Do you think that you will ever follow my instructions in a dangerous situation? I am very tempted to give the role of training agent to some-one else. Myles perhaps. Still if you insist then I will only agree if you will at least allow me to bind those grazes."

"I suppose I could agree to those terms," she replied, giving him a big grin. To her astonishment, Jack brought out a handkerchief from each pocket and began to fasten them securely around the wounds.

"I saw a detective programme once where the detective always carried two handkerchiefs to give to weeping female suspects, it seemed sensible at the time." He shrugged his shoulders. "Ready?"

"How old were you?" asked Sue curiously.

"About twelve."

Sue laughed, "You must have been some cute kid, and chivalrous too!" Jack rolled his eyes and set off down the passage.

They were approaching the small cavern with the empty barrels when Jack signalled for Sue and Levi to stop.

"Stay here whilst I go and have a look." He ordered. "And I mean stay here, I can hear gunfire." Sue nodded. Jack gave her his phone, "Use the torch on it. I won't be long." He quietly moved along leaving Sue to watch the beam of his torch until he vanished around a corner. It felt like a long time but it was barely ten minutes before Jack was back. He signalled for her to come and she practically ran towards him.

"It's over," he said. Inside the cavern were nine men casually dressed in jeans and sweatshirts and looking very dejected. Ted and Brian were in the process of handcuffing them ready to take them back to the house for interrogation.

"Wait!" exclaimed Sue "Where is Lionel and Frances?" One of the waiters turned to Will and said something.

"He says that Lionel, Frances and Dessa left about twenty minutes ago." Said Will.

"Dessa's here!" exclaimed Ana. "He taking a big risk. I thought that he didn't like to get involved in the big stuff and was quite happy pulling the strings from a distance."

"Which way did they go?" demanded Jack. "Not by the tunnel or we would have seen them."

"Same with the river," added Jason.

"Are there any other tunnels?" asked Jack looking at their informant. Helpfully he pointed to the ledge.

"I will show you." He said. Jack nodded and followed him onto the ledge where another door was concealed.

"Ted, Brian, Jason take these lot back to the house and secure them. We are going to follow this tunnel and see where it leads us. Everyone, be alert." Ordered Alex.

The tunnel was long and windy. It went downhill for a considerable distance before levelling out. Sue was just beginning to wish that she had listened to Jack and remained at the house when they came to a door. Alex pushed it open to find himself inside a garage. He was puzzled for a while until he got his bearings.

"We're at the gatehouse at the bottom of the elm drive," he said. "Why here?" Suddenly he clicked his fingers and looked at his watch. "Eleven ten," he muttered. "We have twenty minutes. Every one up for a quick jog?"

"Why where are we going?" asked Ana.

"The train station," replied Alex. "The night train to London leaves in twenty minutes. I suspect that Lionel, Frances and Dessa will be on board."

"How far is it to the station?" asked Sue.

"About a quarter of a mile, give or take." Alex set off at a jog the others following close behind. Jack kept pace with Sue making sure that she was ok and ready to send her back if she showed any signs of distress or fatigue.

They quickly arrived at the gate which led from the Lanpetroc estate to the station and headed across the car park and through the barrier. Glancing across the tracks to the London bound platform they saw their quarry waiting for the train to approach. Of the train there was no sign as yet but a glance at the information board showed that it was on time. They had five minutes. Apart from their targets there were only two other people waiting for the train and they were inside the waiting room, if only there was a way to keep them safe!

Alex, Will and Ana swiftly ran up the steps and across the bridge, Sue and Jack close behind. They stopped at the top of the steps on opposite side calling Lionel and Dessa's names to attract their attention. Startled, Dessa was unprepared and Ana and Will took advantage of this and quickly ran down the stairs managing to take cover as Dessa finally pulled out his gun. He moved to grab Frances then noticed Jack and Sue halfway down the steps. His lips curled into a grin, "Hello neighbours," he said. He raised his gun and pointed it straight at Sue then fired.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Jack had always wondered what he would do if anything was to happen to Sue. When he had discovered Simon trying to strangle her with a scarf his adrenaline and FBI training had kicked in allowing him to shoot with a calmness and precision that followed all the rules in the handbook. When Dan Malone had driven off with her in his car he felt responsible; guilty because he had put her there thinking she would be safe. Those emotions prevented him from sleeping, from barely eating, caused him to snap at his friends and colleagues without reason and drove him relentlessly to find her. This time it was different, time slowed down and he saw everything that happened as if he were watching a film. Ana had made it to the station waiting room and he could see her getting the two travellers in there to lie down on the floor and hide behind the benches. He saw Alex and Will pull their weapons, Will targeting Lionel and he saw Sue moving away from him down the stairs to the platform. Terror gripped him and he turned towards Dessa pulling out his own weapon. But where was Dessa? Another shot rang out and he saw a figure fall to the ground. Shaking his head in disbelief he saw Arif Dessa, the Prince of Terror, slowly sink to his knees a look of surprise on his face. Noises began to come back into focus, people were shouting, a train was coming slowly down the track, an owl hooted in the dark and then he looked around for Sue. She was scrunched over at the foot of the stairs, blood seeping through her fingers. Uttering a cry he ran down the last few steps and grabbed her, holding on as tight as possible. Then he heard a gentle voice.

"Jack, I'm alright. It isn't my blood." Sue had to say it twice more before the meaning registered with Jack.

"Then whose…?"

"Frances', she saved my life!" Jack looked down and saw that Sue had removed the two handkerchiefs from around her wrists and was holding them against Frances' shoulder. Blood had already soaked through them and he stood mesmerised at the image until Ana pushed him out of the way and produced a first aid kit.

"I thought…" he began, but could not continue he just held her thankful that she was alive. He wasn't aware of how long he had sat there holding onto her, thanking God for saving her but eventually his thoughts began to clear and he began to focus on what was happening around him. Dessa was still alive and receiving first aid treatment from Ana. Lionel was in handcuffs and under armed guard courtesy of Will. Frances was comfortable and awaiting the arrival of an ambulance. The travellers had missed their train as they were required to stay and give their statements to the police once they had arrived. Alex relieved Jack of his gun, pleased that he hadn't used it, then sent both he and Sue to sit in the waiting room whilst everyone else dealt with the police, the ambulance and the air ambulance. Frances was flown away to hospital and Dessa was taken by road, under armed guard, to a different one. It took a lot of persuading before the police would allow Alex to take Lionel back to the house for interrogation, indeed it wasn't until Alex's superiors got involved that permission was reluctantly given. Finally, they were allowed to leave, electric buggies had been brought down to the station so that they wouldn't have to walk back up the long drive to the house much to everyone's relief.

Back at the house the party was winding down, so it wasn't difficult to get back inside without anyone spotting them.

"I wonder where everyone thought you had got to?" mused Ana. "You weren't there to say 'goodbye'. A bit like five years ago. Do you remember that, when the SAS parachuted in because they needed you?"

Alex grinned, "Or eight years ago when we chased those jewel thieves across Bodmin Moor and ended up in Dozmary Pool. Perhaps I need to rethink the Bluebell Ball it seems to be jinxed"

As they entered through the front door, Mrs Roseveare appeared and whisked Sue off to bed. Sue, for once, made no argument. Jack and the others returned to Alex's study to hand in their weapons and were met by Jason, Ted and Brian. The 'waiters' had been taken into the basement and locked in the old wine cellars where Lionel had joined them. They had had instructions to leave them alone until the interrogation experts had arrived from London. No one was particularly pleased with that as they all had a lot of questions which they needed to be answered however, no one protested too much. They set up a surveillance rota and went upstairs to bed. Jack popped his head around Sue's door and saw Mrs Roseveare bustling around tidying clothes away. She picked up an empty mug and left the room, "She'll be alright now. Sleep is the best thing for her. I've checked her wrists and put one of my lotions on them. Don't spend too long looking at her, you need your rest too." She smiled warmly and Jack thanked her then turned back to Sue who was sleeping peacefully with Levi at her feet. Quickly he returned to his room grabbed a pillow and quilt and went back to Sue's where he settled himself down on the sofa. It wasn't long before he too was asleep.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Jack woke the next morning to find Levi staring intently at him one paw on his face. "What's up Buddy? Need to go out?" he looked quickly towards the bed and saw Sue sleeping peacefully. With a wince he sat up, the sofa had not been particularly comfortable, and he rubbed his back where it hurt before trundling out of the room, Levi bounding ahead. Business done, Jack let him back in and went to get showered and changed before heading downstairs for breakfast. He met Mrs Roseveare on the way but she refused to hand over the breakfast tray she was holding saying that she was more than capable and didn't he have somewhere to be? Jack gave a half grin and set off down the stairs and towards the dining room. The others were all there, tucking into a delicious looking meal and Jack was quick to join them, now everything was over he realised that he hadn't eaten since yesterday lunchtime and he was feeling decidedly hungry.

Alex's colleagues, or as they became known 'The People', had arrived from London and were in the process of interviewing the men found in the cave but Alex had demanded that he should be allowed to talk to Lionel, even though they were distantly related and to do so would be against protocol. Jack expressed an interest in joining in with that interview but Alex shook his head, "I have another job for you." he said. "I need you to go to Derriford to see Frances. I'd like to know how she got entangled in all this and if she can throw any light on Lionel's involvement."

"Derriford?" asked Jack.

"The hospital in Plymouth," Replied Alex "I'll give you directions."

"I'd like to go too," said a quiet voice. "I need to see her and thank her for saving my life." Everyone turned and looked at Sue, Jack jumped up and led her to a seat before pouring her a coffee.

"I don't think that is a good idea," began Alex but Sue interrupted him.

"I think she will talk to me, especially now. And," she added turning towards Jack "I have had a lovely nights sleep and feel quite alright so there's no reason to keep me out of this."

"Not a problem," capitulated Jack without protest. "Once you've proved that you have eaten a good breakfast and you've had your wrists checked."

Sue grimaced, "Mrs Roseveare brought me breakfast and stood over me whilst I ate and she has checked my wrists, they're healing nicely, look." She held them up and though his stomach twisted when he saw the abrasions and thought again about what she had gone through he was amazed to see how well they had healed overnight.

Alex passed them a folder with Frances' name on it. "Just some background info, not much but it may help start the conversation," he said. They read the notes together whilst drinking their coffee and not long after, Jack and Sue headed out to the hospital. The route was fairly straight forward and they were suitably impressed with Brunel's bridge over the RiverTamar, the boundary between Cornwall and Devon. Apart from having to go round one roundabout twice because they had missed their turn off and having trouble finding somewhere to park, they soon found themselves outside Frances' private room. She was sitting in an uncomfortable looking chair and although she appeared to be gazing through the window at the duck pond below it was obvious that her thoughts were elsewhere. Indeed she visibly jumped when Sue went up to her and Frances looked at her apprehensively but Sue being Sue just bent over and gave her a gentle hug. "Thank you," Sue whispered. "Thank you so very much."

Frances gave her a tiny smile, "I suppose you've come to interrogate me."

"We need to know things, that's true." Said Sue sitting down and taking hold of her hand. "We think we know a bit already but we need your help to fill in the gaps. But first I need to know why you did it, why did you jump in front of Dessa's gun when he tried to shoot me?"

"I couldn't let him do it, I hated having to blindfold you in the cave, you had been so kind to me I should have said 'no' then but I was a coward. At the station I saw my chance to help you and took it." Answered Frances, her eyes filling with tears. "I prayed for some-one to help me and you came."

"I, for one, am pleased that you gained the courage to fight," interrupted Jack. "I can't thank you enough." He smiled gently at Sue his eyes capturing and holding hers for a while.

Frances gave a little embarrassed cough, "Where would you like me to start?" she asked breaking the spell, Sue cleared her throat they had agreed that she would start the interview hoping to put Frances at ease.

"Was Lionel using your brother to get you to do things? We know that Callum was involved in a motorbike accident and that he now needs specialist care. We also know that Lionel told you that he was paying for the nursing home."

Frances nodded, "I was surprised when he said that he would do that and relieved because I didn't know what to do for the best, I had no money for private care. It was later that he began to use it as a way to make sure I did as he said, he would threaten to remove Callum from the home if I didn't. Why would he do that? He already had the best reason for making sure that I did as he wanted." Sue glanced at Jack who shrugged his shoulders he had no idea what she was talking about either.

"What reason?" Sue asked, gently.

Frances looked at her and took a deep breath, "I murdered my husband. I killed Louis. Lionel knew but said that he wouldn't tell anyone if I helped him with his little projects." Jack and Sue looked at each other in shock, they hadn't expected that!

"How did you kill Louis?" asked Jack.

Frances looked puzzled, "I don't know, I can't remember." Jack and Sue looked confused.

"You must have some idea," said Jack and stopped as Sue gave him a look. Sue took hold of Frances' hand hoping to reassure her.

"You told me that you argued with Louis about his gambling the night that he died. What happened next?"

"I don't know!" Frances cried. "I've tried to remember but I can't."

"How did Louis die?"

"He fell down stairs and broke his neck."  
"Did you argue upstairs?"

"No, in the living room but I don't remember what happened after Lionel came in."

"Lionel was there?"

"Yes, I had a headache and he gave me some paracetamol but I don't know what happened next. I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up Lionel told me about Louis being dead and that he had called the police. He said that it looked bad for me so I was to say that I was with him that night visiting Aunt Judith who had had a fall, that was true she had sprained her ankle, and when he brought me home we had found Louis. I didn't know what to do, my head felt so funny like it was full of cotton wool and I couldn't think straight so I went along with it. Then he started to ask me to do things, he asked me to take packages to different places or to collect them and bring them to him. I didn't want to but he kept reminding me of what had happened. But I don't know if it did happen. Do you think I killed my husband?"

"I think there are lots of questions that only Lionel knows the answers to," replied Sue, gently. "But first, I need a coffee and I am sure that Jack will, we'll take a short break for now. Can I get you anything?" Frances shook her head.

"I could do with a snack too," said Jack. "I'll give you a hand."

They got up and left the room.

"You know what I think," began Sue.

"That Lionel killed Louis and passed the blame onto Frances?" said Jack

"Mmm, and he's been worried ever since that she might remember what really happened." Continued Sue.

"So when Callum was in the accident and needed specialist nursing Lionel used that to pressure Frances instead." Finished Jack.

"But why? Why did he need Frances in the first place? And what does Aunt Judith have to do with anything?" Sue groaned. "This is getting quite complicated." They sipped their coffees then headed back into the room.

"How is your shoulder feeling?" asked Sue.

"Fine, I've been given painkillers." Frances gave a small smile. "They're hoping to discharge me later today if I can give them the name of some-one who can look after me for a while."

"You will come back with us," said Sue firmly. "I should imagine we will have to stay here a few extra days now, we were due to fly home tomorrow, and I know Alex will want to look after you until you are settled." Frances didn't look convinced but lacked the energy to argue.

Jack explained their theory about why Lionel had started to use Callum's accident as a threat and Frances nodded.

"We also know that he hasn't paid for the home for a couple of months now, according to his financial records he is deeply in debt. Was he hoping to be paid well by Dessa?" asked Jack.

Frances stiffened, her face paled even further and Jack became worried that he had overdone things. "He hasn't been paying the home?" she fumed. "He always acted as if he was rolling in money, going to the casino nearly every night or to expensive restaurants, buying designer clothes and such things." She paused, lost in thought. "But you know, apart from taking me on occasional trips to Holland, I'm assuming so that I could act as a courier, we only ever visited Alex. He was obsessed with that place and would go two or three times a year. He did say that this job would be very profitable and that we might be going on holiday to somewhere nice soon." Jack nodded, they would find out what she was carrying back from Holland later.

"What about your boyfriend Richard?" asked Jack "He left for Truro before the party do you know why?"

"He was my boyfriend," began Frances. "We just said that. He was actually Lionel's friend not mine, he worked in a bar in London and I used to collect packages from him. I think he may have gone back there." A nurse wandered in stopping all conversation for the time being and when she left Sue switched to other, less intense, topics.

The hospital was as good as its word and by mid-afternoon Jack, Sue and Frances found themselves on their way back to Lanpetroc House. Jack, in particular, was looking forward to finding out what Lionel had to say for himself before the onerous task of interrogating Dessa began.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

On their return, Frances went straight to her room to rest; Sue reassuring her again that she would speak to Alex about letting her recuperate there. Expecting Alex to be in the middle of an interview, they were very surprised to find him and Jason sitting in the drawing room drinking tea.

"I thought you would be downstairs interviewing Lionel," commented Jack helping himself to a coffee from the trolley and pouring another for Sue. "Don't tell me he has spilled all."

Alex shook his head, "We didn't even get started." He grumbled. "As soon as I walked in he began complaining of chest pains, by the time the paramedics had got here and done their tests it was past lunch time so we decided to postpone it until this afternoon."

"Indigestion probably," said Jason scornfully. "Or a put on."

"Either way we needed to take it seriously," reproved Alex. "Still, you'll be able to watch this time Jack. What did you find out from Frances?"

Jack told him their findings, Sue interrupting when he forgot something or to add a comment. In return Jason explained to them about Aunt Judith and her role in the events. "I spoke to Judith and it would appear that Lionel took her in to keep an eye on Frances. She believes that he had become worried that Frances was unstable following her husband's death. I think that he didn't want any of his illegal activities to become known and put Judith in there to spy on Frances and report back. Judith says that he runs a casino in London but she is adamant that it is all above board. I got the feeling that she's a little batty but she genuinely seems quite fond of Frances."

As the conversation was focussed on Frances, Sue took the opportunity to ask if she could stay until she was well enough to go home and was pleased when Alex nodded. "And we've just heard that Richard has been arrested for burglary," he added. "I think that she will need a lot of support in the coming months. Ana is looking into it, she has contacts apparently." He stood up, "Well if everyone is feeling refreshed shall we head downstairs?" They all nodded, replacing their cups on the trolley, and followed him out and down the stairs to the cellars.

"Don't you think it a little odd," began Sue in a whisper. "That Alex has all this hidden below his house?" she gestured to the brightly lit room visible through the one-way mirror where Lionel was seated at a table inspecting his nails and looking very relaxed.

"It's a secure place," said Jack. "The government agency he works for quite often uses it as a safe house."

"Oh, I see," said Sue but was prevented from saying anything else when Alex entered the room and sat himself opposite Lionel. From the positioning of the table it was possible to see both sides of the conversation. Jack flipped the switch so that he could hear what was being said. Alex began by asking Lionel if he felt better and to let him know if he began to feel ill again. Lionel ignored him and gazed at the ceiling in a bored manner.

"So," said Alex. "As I see it we have you for terrorist activities, we're looking into the casino you supposedly run and making enquiries into your frequent trips to Holland. It isn't looking good for you. Your bank says that you are overdrawn to the tune of £150,000 and that everything you can mortgage you have. That certainly gives you a motive for joining in with Dessa, what was he going to pay you for smuggling in his friends?"

Lionel shook his head and tutted, "Alex, Alex, Alex," he said. "You think you know it all don't you and here I am proving you wrong. You strut around your big house playing Lord of the manor, whilst the rest of us have to work for a living, pretending to be some big shot government agent looking down on the rest of us mere mortals. You've always looked down on me haven't you? All those holidays when we were kids, you and your mates going fishing and leaving me here, the poor relation. I've spent years planning your downfall and now I will achieve it. Oh Dessa thought that I was helping him, but really he was playing my game."

"Really, I'm impressed." Said Alex feigning admiration. "Dessa is usually too smart for anyone to pull one over on him. How did you do it?"

Lionel shook his finger from side to side, "Oh no, I'm not going to tell you that. Besides that was just a red herring the real fun is just about to begin." Alex casually flipped open a file on the table and looked down as if he were checking something as he did so he mouthed "Check the cameras." Sue grabbed hold of Jason and dragged him from the room.

"What fun?" asked Alex, stalling for time, there was a long pause as Lionel sat there with a smirk. "OK, whilst we're waiting for the fun to start why not tell me how you became involved with Dessa." Continued Alex trying hard not to let his frustration show.

Lionel shrugged, "I suppose I could do that, soon it won't matter what you know. Firstly, I don't own or run the casino Dessa does and I have been having a particularly bad run of luck. It was either end up in the sea with the fishes or do a little job for him. He knew I owned a boat and he wanted to smuggle some men into the UK for a plan that he had. He said that if I helped then he would cancel the debt. I was already smuggling drugs in from Holland without raising any suspicion so I knew I could do it."

"How could you be successfully smuggling drugs and still be in so much debt?" asked Alex, totally baffled.

"I was doing that for Magic Mickie; he still owes me." Replied Lionel.

"You've got involved with Magic Mickie! You're lucky that he hasn't come after you for working for Dessa!" exclaimed Alex. Magic Mickie was a well-known and extremely violent mobster with his fingers in lots of different pies. Overcoming his surprise, Alex continued. "So back to Dessa, you agreed to smuggle the terrorists in on your boat, then what?"

"I don't know and I definitely don't care," said Lionel. "I did my bit the rest was up to him. As long as I got my IOUs back that's all I was bothered about. Either way I've won, you lock Dessa up then I won't have to pay him back anyway." He chuckled.

"You think?" exclaimed Alex. "Dessa only has to make a few phone calls and he can still get you." Lionel flushed and a stubborn look came across his face.

"By the time that happens, I'll be long gone," he said boastfully.

Suddenly there was a loud rumble, the room began to vibrate and plaster and debris started to fall from the ceiling.

"And so it begins," said Lionel, a grin spreading across his face.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Lionel sat at the table a smug look on his face as dust and plaster chips fell around them. The rumbling had stopped and to Alex's bewilderment Lionel began to count out loud. He reached ten and smirked then a look of bafflement appeared. Alex stood up, brushed the dust from his hair and left the room locking the door behind him. There was no-one in the outer room so he made his way to the staircase as he opened the door at the top a shower of cold water from the overhead sprinklers doused him, he gritted his teeth and stomped towards his office. He hadn't got far when he came across Jason carrying a large tool box.

"Well?" he demanded. Jason passed the box to one of 'The People' with instructions to take it to Will then led the way to Alex's sanctum. Once inside he began to explain.

"Lionel had rigged this place up with some very crude explosives," he said, furiously. "We looked at the cameras like you said. It should have taken hours but Will has developed a program that can search for specific people which saved us a boat load of time. We found a shot of Lionel talking to one of the 'waiters'. The helpful one, you know the one who told us Dessa was heading to the station?" Alex nodded, he needed to talk to that one he was being way too helpful. "Well he was really helpful again and showed us where he had put all the explosives. Thankfully, Will is trained in bomb disposal and he managed to get them all. Well apart from the last one, the kitchen corridor is a bit of a mess but luckily no-one was hurt. They were timed to go off at thirty second intervals and if they had all gone off then the house would have been destroyed!"

"And us with it," remarked Alex grimly.

"Well not quite, don't forget that the cellars are bomb proof. Lionel probably hoped to overpower you and make his escape," Jason snorted. "I didn't realise he had such a chip on his shoulder when it came to you."

"Neither did I," replied Alex. "I had no idea that he was so resentful of what we have here, and yes I include you. You may not have inherited the house but you did have the childhood he wanted. You know he accused me of leaving him by himself when he came to visit as a child?"

"But you didn't, you always tried to include him in everything we did, until the cat incident that is!" exclaimed Jason. "He spent hours looking for the tunnels with us, do you think that when he continued to visit as an adult and did the same?"

"He must have," Alex poured them both brandy and Jason gave him an enquiring look. "I need to get my senses back before I face Lionel again."

"Leave him to stew for a bit and go and talk to the 'helpful waiter'," suggested Jason. "You might learn a lot more about Dessa and his plans. I don't think Lionel actually knows that much he seemed to have had another agenda entirely."

"Good idea," said Alex. "Have you seen the others recently?"

"Sue's in the kitchen soothing Mrs Roseveare and Mrs Henderson with tea. Will is examining the explosives, Ana is talking to 'The People' trying to down play everything and Jack is contacting Washington to let them know what has happened."

"Right everyone is busy, let's go and talk to our helpful friend," he put down his glass and they went back down into the cellars.

It was beginning to go dark and they had just eaten a hastily put together meal when Alex told them what he had found out. It turned out that the helpful waiter, whose name was Samir, was the older brother to one of the terrorists. He had been horrified at what his brother was about to do and had wanted to protect his sibling. He in turn, was a devout believer in everything Dessa said or did and was determined to make his own mark on the world in any way he could even if it meant death to hundreds or thousands of people. Samir had hoped to persuade his brother that what he was doing was wrong and that nothing good would come of working for Dessa. The men had been chosen specifically because there was no record of them in any terror database meaning that they could move around without attraction any official attention. Dessa was to supervise from a central location in London alongside two of his most trusted recruits and the others were to work in pairs in various city locations around the country. Once in place, they had instructions to disrupt the transport systems, shopping centres and stadia. They were to hurt as many people as possible and create an atmosphere of fear amongst the general public. As to Dessa's motives Samir was less certain, they would have to interrogate Dessa to find that out. However, that wasn't to be their responsibility. Dessa was to be removed to a military installation and interrogated by others.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"So that's that," announced Alex as they watched the two un-marked police vans drive off down the drive. Lionel had been formally arrested and placed in one van whilst the terrorists had been placed in the other to be taken to a specialist centre. Dessa would be joining them there, his injuries having been confirmed as not life threatening. Wheels were already in motion to have him extradited back to the US where he would finish his current prison sentence and possibly an additional one.

"I'm sorry that you didn't get the rest and relaxation that you came for," he added looking at Jack and Sue. "But maybe when you come again it will be different! You would like to come again?" he added.

"I would love to," replied Sue. "You live in such a beautiful part of the world, I'd love to be able to explore it some more. How about you Jack?"

"Definitely," he said. "I quite fancy the idea of sailing around the coast."

"Find a few deserted coves," interrupted Jason giving him a wink and nodding his head towards Sue. Jack scowled and looked at Sue to see if she had seen, that was one road he could not go down. Thankfully she had moved away and was chatting with Ana, both had serious looks and Jack wondered what they were talking about.

"We have orders to return to London tomorrow," continued Jack. "Our flights are booked and we should be back in DC by the day after. I've enjoyed my visit, even though it got a little hairy at times. By the way," he added. "Did you get to the bottom of the smuggling matter that Jason was investigating?"

"Yes, it was Lionel delivering supplies to the caves," answered Alex. "He had to do it at night by boat and it caught one of the local's attention who reported it." Jack nodded suddenly at a loss as to what to say. Fortunately, Alex was called away by the telephone and Jason, after giving him a grin, wandered off towards the stables. Jack was preparing to go in and start his packing when Sue came over.

"I think we deserve one last visit to the coast," she said. "It would be a shame to leave without a walk along the beach. Levi and Millie would like it too." She fluttered her eyelashes and Jack groaned and rolled his eyes before laughing, "You get Millie, I'll get changed into something more … clean." He suddenly became aware that he was still coated in plaster dust. "Give me ten minutes and I'll meet you here." He ran off into the house, Sue following behind him at a more sedate pace. She collected a warm coat to wear, snuck into the kitchen for food supplies and to collect Millie's lead and the dog as well, who was curled up in a sunny spot having a snooze. She found Jack waiting by an estate car, the keys clasped in his hand. They all piled in and soon they were off to the north coast and Daymer Bay. It was a tight squeeze, getting the estate down the road to the car park, especially when they met traffic coming in the opposite direction but the location was worth it. The car park was situated above a slight cliff with views across the estuary to Harbour Cove and at the base of the cliff was soft golden sand and slate rock pools. Several brave people were in the water splashing about or body boarding and the squeals of excited children filled the air. They decide to walk along the beach below the sand dunes towards Rock and Levi was given a holiday so that he could run and sniff to his heart's content with Millie.

Sue looked at Jack, there was something about his expression that worried her and she wanted to know what it was. Taking a deep breath and forcing herself to feel more cheerful than she was she took hold of his hand.

"I've enjoyed this vacation," she said. "In spite of everything I feel quite relaxed and rested. Oh I know I got into far too many scrapes but look at what was achieved." She felt Jack tense. "I suppose you are angry that I got into all the scrapes?" she added.

Jack stopped and stared out over the water pretending to watch the sailing dinghy that was making its way up river. Finally he said, "No I'm not angry, not really. After all these years I'm getting quite used to you not doing anything I ask you to. But,"

"I knew there would be a 'but'," said Sue, mournfully.

"But," continued Jack. "I'm finding it harder to distance myself from it, to treat you as just a colleague. I'm finding that I want to rant at you for putting yourself in such danger, for not thinking about consequences and for not thinking about what it would mean to me, us, if anything should actually happen to you."

"But you've always ranted," said Sue. "Remember New York? We had hardly worked together for any time by then and you got angry with me for being … tenacious."

"I know," replied Jack with a huge sigh. "I suppose I've always worried about you getting into some sort of situation that you couldn't get out of. And it's wrong!" Sue looked at him quickly, noticing the frustration and confusion in his expression. She called the dogs and then led Jack towards the sand dunes choosing a sheltered spot where they could sit and talk.

"Don't you think that I might feel the same?" she said, when they were comfortable. "You often put yourself into danger, and I know that it's because you are dedicated to your work and I know that what you do is important, that people are important even if you don't know them. I've struggled for years to distance myself from what might happen and most of the times I fail and then **I** feel the urge to rant at**you**!" Jack look at her startled. "Ana was speaking to me about it earlier and I happen to agree with her. Keeping our distance, being professional is just as dangerous, as harmful as anything that we do at work and I am refusing to continue to deny what we have. Everyone and I mean everyone knows about the bond we share and have done nothing to prevent us from exploring it, we haven't been moved to different teams or different departments, so perhaps they are waiting for us to get out heads out of the sand and do something about it!"

Jack stared at her in amazement, a myriad of emotions flooding through him as he processed what she was saying.

"So," he said. "When we get back to DC you are going to storm into Ted's office and announce that we are an item?" he grinned at her determined expression.

"No," replied Sue, causing a look of dismay to cover Jacks face. "I propose that **we **storm Ted's office and tell him that we are an item!"

"Yes ma'am," replied Jack, saluting. Just as he began to take advantage of their close proximity and inched his face towards hers they were showered by sand as Levi and Millie slid down the dune bringing half of it with them.

"Yuk!" they both squealed and rapidly shook the sand from their hair, clothes and shoes. The moment broken, they stood up and made their way back to the car; they had clothes to pack.

The following morning a reduced party met for breakfast. They had all gone to a local restaurant the evening before for a farewell meal. Ana and Will had already left as soon as it was light enough for them to fly out of the nearby airfield; a case had appeared on their desks which required them going to Paris straight away. Jason was also on his way back to London having received urgent orders and Hazel and Mike had left to visit friends in Devon. Aunt Judith and Frances were having breakfast in their rooms. Frances and Sue had said their farewells the previous evening and had promised to keep in touch, no decision had been made about Frances' future but she was to stay at Lanpetroc for the next few weeks until her shoulder had healed. Consequently, it was just Jack, Sue and Alex seated in the dining room. They chatted about general things and Sue thanked Alex again for an exciting visit. She wanted to know if he had plans for the tunnels but at that moment in time all he was interested in was blocking them off again. He didn't want anyone else getting ideas about using the tunnels for some nefarious reason. "But I just might explore them a little bit more first," he added, his eyes twinkling. "It would be great if I could find some old smuggled goods or other treasure." But that had to wait for now as Alex, too, had to go to London to brief his department on the recent events and had decided to fly back with Jack and Sue. As the hire car made its way down the long drive to the gate house Sue looked back at the house. The walls shone white in the morning sun and the blue sky above set the house off to perfection. Yes it had been a very eventful visit but Sue had enjoyed it all and now she had something else to look forward to, a new adventure with Jack. She couldn't wait.

THE END

**Thank you to everyone who stuck with this and for the lovely reviews which gave me the push to continue. It has taken a long time to finish (breaks for Christmas and getting a new puppy didn't help), so many times I have thought that I was on the last chapter and then found I had more to write! **

**My Lanpetroc is closed at the moment so I can't wander through the drawing room to the gallery with its amazing plaster ceiling or stroll through the gardens; the magnolias and camellias were beautiful again this year. **

**Take care and keep safe.**


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